From the Ashes
by Marimbo
Summary: When all hope for the future is lost, sometimes the only thing left to do is go back. Naruko x Anko. Rated M for language, gore, and adult situations.
1. Going Back

**Chapter 1: Going Back**

* * *

" **Ten'nohashira (Pillar of Heaven)!** " The sky seemed to split apart as flames came roaring down from the heavens, creating a roiling column of fire. A shockwave exploded from the ground as the flames touched down with earth-shattering force, scattering rock and debris high into the air. It was as if God himself had called down the flames, powerful enough to cleanse away all in their path. All noise was blotted out by the roar of the fire twisting down from the sky. The earth cracked under the heat, stones glowed red hot before melting away, and everything else turned to ash. Still, Naruko held her hands outstretched, pouring her remaining chakra into the technique. The immense energy required would have no doubt killed anyone else several times over, but there was no one quite like Naruko. The massive drain sent her to her knees, and sweat dripped down her face, to mix with tears that already streaked her visage. She was so focused on her goal that she couldn't even feel the cuts and bruises scattered over her body, the blood that matted her crimson hair, even the chakra exhaustion that would no doubt kill her. Blood trickled down the corner of her mouth as her lip cracked, all the moisture having been drawn from the air. Each breath was harsh, stinging the back of her throat and burning her lungs. Her hair whipped around her in a gale force wind as air rushed past her to feed the hungry flames, devouring all before them. Naruko's vision began to flicker, and her arms trembled as she struggled to remain upright, but still she surged her chakra into the flames. Spots danced in her vision until she could barely see at all. She thought, vaguely, that it was a blessing. For no longer did she have to look at the bodies that littered the ground. Her comrades, her friends, her loved ones. She was the only one left.

Finally she released the jutsu as exhaustion overtook her. The great column of flame thinned rapidly, until only wisps of fire remained suspended in the air, slowly flickering out like so many fireflies. Naruko keeled over, uncaring of the sharp stones that dug into her battered flesh. She allowed her eyes to flutter closed, barely registered the way her breathing was becoming shallow and weak. Her head was swimming, almost deliriously, as her body fought to keep her heart beating. A battle it was slowly losing.

" **It was an honor to fight alongside you.** " In her mindscape, Kurama's head was bowed in a rare display of respect, which was equally evident in his rumbling voice. Naruko's lips twitched in a ghost of a smirk. To be praised by the Nine-Tailed Fox himself, _that_ wasn't something she expected to experience during her lifetime.

"You've gotten soft...Kurama," she thought, enjoying the pleasant numbness that began to overwhelm her senses. If this was death, she mused, it wasn't so bad. The great fox grunted, rolling his eyes at the remark.

" **And you have not changed at all, kit. Even after all this time.** " She thought briefly that his voice carried a hint of forlornness, but the notion was quickly washed away in the roiling current of her mind as she spilled into unconsciousness.

Thoughts and memories flickered to life for a brief moment, disappearing before she could latch onto them. Happy or sad she didn't know. She simply watched as her life played out before her, but she couldn't even remember the script. Her limbs felt heavy, as if they were made out of immovable stone, and yet, strangely, it was as though she weighed nothing. She hung suspended in a sea of her own memories, carried on by the current, fading with the tide.

Suddenly, the felt a tug, as if a rope were trying to pull her free. She tried to struggle against the invisible force, but she didn't know how. It dredged her from her comfortable nothingness, ignorant to her wishes.

Sensation slammed into her violently, as if she had just been pulled from a deep pool of water. She gasped for air, her breast heaving as she gulped deep breaths into her burning lungs. Her ears rang loudly, and she struggled to understand the blurry shapes that swam before her eyes.

" **Naruko!** " Something slammed into her with enough force to send her hurdling through the air. Wind rushed past her ears for a brief moment, her stomach flipping from the sensation of weightlessness, before she hit the ground hard, bouncing painfully off the rocks. Her heart beat impossibly fast, pumping adrenaline through her system. Quickly, she rolled to her feet, pulling one of her father's signature kunai from the pouch at her side. She almost stumbled as she saw what was before her.

Madara's Susanoo stared emotionlessly down at her, a massive spectral katana forming in its hand. ' _Impossible_ ,' she thought, glaring up at Madara. Nothing should have been able to withstand the flames of the **Ten'nohashira**. It was the ultimate offensive technique, or so she had thought, capable of leveling mountains and destroying armies with ease. And yet there Madara stood, surrounded by an ethereal blue figure, clad in samurai armor. On its head was a tusked mask, fixed in a permanent snarl. Madara glowered at her, his sharingan spinning eerily.

"You have caused me a lot of trouble over the years," he said, seemingly unfazed by Naruko's attack. "That will end now."

" **We've gotta get out of here** ," Kurama ground out. " **I gave you all the chakra I can afford. I have just enough left… But I need time.** "

"So it really comes down to this," Naruko mused. Kurama simply grunted, beginning to draw the remainder of his chakra in preparation for the jutsu. It had been long in the making, but Naruko had prayed they would never have to use it. She took one last look at the ruins of Konoha, now little more than smoking rubble and burnt bodies, before disappearing in a red flash.

* * *

She reappeared in the forest a short distance from Konoha. Around her, sunlight shone brightly between the trees, as if it were any other day. As if she hadn't just seen the last of her friends die before her eyes. As if she hadn't just seen her home burn. Had she been any less exhausted, she would have been angry. Furious, even. She had failed. In the final hour, the last stand, she had failed. And she still didn't understand _how_. She was the the last shadow. She was the dragon from the Land of Fire. It was she who brought armies to their knees with one strike. It was she whose will of fire burned hotter than the sun. Why couldn't she kill one man?

She didn't know. But she would find out. Naruko Uzumaki would not fail again.

It was she who would save the world.

" **It is ready** ," Kurama said solemnly, rousing her from her thoughts.

"Will you be able to follow me?" She asked.

" **I don't know.** " She closed her eyes, taking one last deep breath.

"Do it."

* * *

She felt herself falling. At least, she thought she was falling. She couldn't tell. Around her there was only blackness. It didn't press in to make her feel claustrophobic, but rather stretched out in an infinite abyss. She felt very small as she tumbled through empty space, with no sense of direction or speed. There was nothing to see or hear, nothing to smell. It was only when she looked down at her own arms did she remember she had them, or the ability to look in the first place. It was, at least, some comfort to know she had herself.

Around her, the nothingness stretched on. And on. And on...

After a time, how much she couldn't tell, a smell spec of light became visible beneath her, and only as it grew did she become certain that she was indeed falling. She focused on the light, trying to make sense of the speck of color in her silent black world. The light grew and grew, until she could barely stand to look at it, stretching widely beneath her. She reached a hand out, as if to touch it, though she had no way of telling how near it was. The circular light seemed to warp, its edges rising is if to cocoon her in its glow.

In an instant, a wall of noise and color slammed into her senses, before blackness once again swallowed her.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed the brief first chapter. The next ones will be longer, but this is merely setting the stage. I have never written for Naruto before, so please feel free to correct me if I get anything wrong. I am still pretty new to writing, so feedback is appreciated, of course.**

 **Two things I should perhaps get out of the way:**

 **There won't be any voting for pairings, nor am I likely to add them based on requests. If you do not like the pairing, I am sorry, but it is unlikely to be changed.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. A Warm Welcome

**Chapter 2: A Warm Welcome**

* * *

The first thing Naruko registered was pain. Every cell in her body ached, as if she had been torn apart and put back together again piece by piece. Her throat ached horribly, like she had spent a week out in the Suna desert without so much as a drop of water. She tried to press a palm to her forehead to lessen the ache throbbing through her skull, only to find that she couldn't move her arms. With a surprisingly large amount of effort, she opened her eyes.

She was in a hospital, hooked up to multiple machines and monitors that she couldn't even begin to name. The room was spotless, the white walls and floor gleaming as if the whole room had been sterilized and disinfected. Though no lights were on, the sun shone easily through half open blinds, casting horizontal shadows over her body. She found that she was wearing only simple hospital gown and her boyshort panties, much to her displeasure, and that her wrists were cuffed securely to the railings of the hospital bed. She thought, with slight amusement, that it felt not unlike an opening scene to one of Jiraiya's _Icha Icha_ novels. The thought almost drew a smile to her lips, before she started suddenly, the full weight of her predicament finally hitting her.

' _Kurama?_ ' She thought tentatively, a twinge of unease twisting her stomach. They had been together for so long if he-

" **I am here, kit** ," he rumbled, prompting a sigh of relief from Naruko. " **Though I am unsure as to the consequences of our situation.** "

' _How do you mean?_ ' She asked, worry once more edging into her voice.

" **I believe we were transported back some twelve years, around the time you graduated from the academy, I believe.** " Naruko's eyes widened.

' _Do you think...is it possible there's a younger version of us running around somewhere?_ '

" **It is plausible, though whether or not it is possible remains to be seen** ," Kurama mused, " **We don't yet know if we simply reversed time, or if it was rewritten entirely. The world could be the same as it was twelve years ago, or it could be completely different.** " Naruko let her head fall back against the pillows with a huff, closing her eyes in frustration.

' _Maybe we'll find out when someone unties me from this fucking bed._ '

* * *

 **A day earlier…**

* * *

If there was one thing Kakashi Hatake hated, it was border patrol duty. For one, he wasn't allowed to show up late because of "endangering Konoha's safety" or some similar bullshit. Secondly, the whole job was pointless anyway. Nobody was stupid enough to attack the strongest shinobi village, which made for guarding it the most boring job in existence. At least he had his trusty _Icha Icha_ novel to keep him...occupied.

He settled down on the grass, resting his back against a tree. Birds chirped in the branches above, flitting between boughs with soft flaps of their wings. The shade was a soothing relief from the hot sun, and Kakashi stretched languidly, flicking through his book to find his current page. Despite the monotony of border patrol, it was nice to be able to relax. Shinobi life could be so hectic, it was important to cherish the rare moments of respite when they came around. With one final sigh of contentment, Kakashi began to read.

…

…

…

A massive wave of chakra slammed into Kakashi, forcing a gasp from his lips as his book tumbled from his hand. The chakra was unlike anything he had ever felt. Its density was stunning, and the sheer volume of chakra… It was enough to send a lesser ninja to their knees.

He quickly radioed for backup, using a shunshin to get closer to the chakra anomaly. Kakashi crept forward silently, drawing a kunai from the pouch at his waist in case of a threat. The chakra signal was confusing to say the least. Had it been an attack, the enemy would have waited to reveal their signature until it was time to strike. There had clearly been no visible attack, which meant that it could have been a diversion, which again was doubtful. A chakra release of such magnitude was only possible for a handful of people, and it would be best to use someone with such power for the attack itself rather than a distraction. It had to have been a jutsu, of that he was sure, but Kakashi was ignorant to its nature. Quickly jumping between the boughs of the trees, Kakashi found himself even more puzzled than before when he saw the disturbance.

There was a small clearing in the forest, that was perhaps a grassy knoll only minutes before. Now, it was little more than a shallow crater. Dirt was strewn about, plants were uprooted, but Kakashi only had eyes for the woman who lay in the center of the newly formed depression.

She was relatively short, half a head or so shorter than himself. Her long hair was splayed out around her, wild and unkempt, the deep crimson color contrasting with her light skin. For a moment he was unable to breathe. ' _Kushina?_ ' With shaking hands he approached her, only for his momentary hopes to be dashed. Kushina's face was more rounded, despite the fact that she had a slimmer build than the kunoichi before him. Had the situation been different, Kakashi would no doubt have admired the obvious curves visible under the woman's torn clothing. This woman had deep blue eyes, which were currently unfocused and unseeing, instead of Kushina's violet ones, and had three distinct marks on each cheek, almost like whiskers. It was obvious she was beautiful, despite the blood and dirt that caked her body. The woman coughed suddenly and violently, her eyes rolling into the back of her skull before closing completely. Kakashi swore under his breath. He was no medic, but it was obvious the woman was suffering from more than her easily visible surface wounds. He once more activated the radio attached to his jounin vest.

"This is Hatake. Backup is no longer required. It was...nothing. Over." Gently, he picked up the kunoichi so that she rested bridal style in his arms, before disappearing in a shunshin.

* * *

 **Present time…**

* * *

The door opened suddenly, rousing Naruko from her slumber. Hiruzen Sarutobi strode in, wearing his full Hokage robes, flanked by Inoichi Yamanaka. Naruko was forced to hold back a gasp at the sight. It had been so many years since she had seen Sarutobi fall in battle. She had tried to prepare herself, that she would encounter those who had been killed in her time, but it was nothing compared to actually seeing them. As Sarutobi strode purposefully towards her, she still couldn't shake the feeling that the was looking at a ghost. Inoichi too, was surreal in her eyes. She hadn't known the man well, and yet she still remembered the day he had died. She never could forget the sound of Ino's screams.

"Who are you?" Sarutobi asked. Naruko held back a smirk at his tone. The old man could be so commanding, when he wanted to be. It wasn't for nothing he was called the "God of Shinobi" after all.

"Naruko Uzumaki," she replied evenly, meeting the third's gaze with her own stony one. He wasn't doing anything wrong, but Naruko didn't like being interrogated. They didn't try to hide their intentions either, what with Inoichi present and the restraints at her arms. Sarutobi looked her up and down with a contemplative expression mirrored on Inoichi's face.

"So more of you survived, then." He was undoubtedly referring to the Uzumaki, and their annihilation. He wasn't necessarily wrong with his statement, though he was understandably mistaken to her situation. He assumed she had survived the fall of Uzushiogakure along with her mother. But, he hadn't worded it as a question and she didn't bother to correct him, favoring to fix him with a blank stare.

"Where," he began again, drawing a small object from inside his robes, "did you get this?" Naruko cursed inwardly as he held up a Hiraishin kunai. She should have been more careful. Of course they would have searched her possessions after finding her.

"I found it," she replied tonelessly, "as I was traveling past Iwa." Perhaps it would have been easier to fully cooperate, but the less anyone knew of her the better. Eventually she would have to tell someone, however for now it would be easier to operate without the constraints of a regular ninja. If they knew nothing of her past, she could hide her abilities well enough to escape Hiruzen's eyes and ears. What she had to do was above the rule of one man.

"No," Sarutobi cut in, his voice somehow both serene and threatening, "I don't think so. This kunai has different markings from the Fourth's. If you would, release the storage seals on your arm." Naruko could tell it wasn't really a question. She cursed under her breath, the old man always could outmaneuver her when he needed to. Inoichi silently released the bindings on one wrist, allowing her to reach the seals on her opposite forearm. At her touch, a katana appeared in a puff of smoke. Inoichi took it, handing it to Sarutobi, who drew it smoothly from its red sheath.

"Chakra metal," he mused with false pleasantness, his eyes raking over the crimson blade to rest on the the spiralling dragons forming the ornate guard. "A fine blade. One might begin to wonder where you acquired such a thing." His eyes slid sideways to once more meet hers, containing a harshness not present in his tone. Naruko simply glared back.

"The second seal," he gestured to her arm. "Release it." Holding his gaze, she touched the second seal. In numerous puffs of smoke, several Hiraishin kunai appeared, quickly grabbed by Inoichi for the Hokage to inspect. They too, bore her own mark, instead of her father's seal, something she knew Sarutobi could never miss.

"I will ask again," said Sarutobi, all pretense of warmth dropped from his tone, "who are you?" Naruko's lip curled. She knew she was trapped.

"I am exactly who I said I was. I am Naruko Uzumaki." She left out her previous titles, as much as she would have loved to list them. Sarutobi snorted.

"Inoichi, search her mind if you will," he ordered bruskly.

"Don't," Naruko growled warningly, releasing a hint of killing intent even though she knew it was useless. Inoichi moved to her side, unfazed, placing a palm over her forehead. Her eyes rolled back as her vision faded into darkness.

* * *

Naruko found herself in her mindscape, standing in a large meadow. Kurama was at her side, wearing a snarl that matched her own as Inoichi gaped at the pair of them.

" **You are here only because I have allowed it, mortal. Take care that you don't overstep your bounds.** " Inoichi gulped, nodding shakily. Naruko watched silently alongside Kurama as Inoichi's brow furrowed in concentration, before she was dragged once more into her own memories.

She saw when she was a little girl, shunned by the villagers of Konoha.

She saw when she graduated the academy.

Her memories flipped forward like the pages of a book, going by too fast for her to read, before slowing once more.

She saw when she saved Gaara.

She saw when she killed Pain.

When the fourth shinobi war began.

When she was made Hokage.

When she fought Madara.

Suddenly, she was thrust back into the world, gasping for breath as sweat dripped from her brow. Inoichi was in a similar state, his breath ragged and quick, his skin shining with a layer of perspiration. Before Sarutobi could say anything, Inoichi knelt to one knee next to Naruko's bedside, bowing his head, much to the surprise of both her and the Hokage.

"I thank you for your service...Lord Sixth."

* * *

 **A day later…**

* * *

"Minato and Kushina's daughter…" Sarutobi mused with a small smile. They sat in the Hokage's office, a desk piled high with paperwork between them. "The blood tests don't lie, of course."

"Is there...another one of me? About academy age?" She truthfully wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, especially after Sarutobi's face became grave.

"No, there is only you." His frown deepened. "I always thought that Minato and Kushina had a son…"

"I have a brother?" Naruko asked sharply, her eyes widening at the prospect.

"I'm afraid not," responded Sarutobi darkly. "When the Kyuubi was released during the birth of the child, all three perished. I will spare you the...gruesome details. I had assumed the Kyuubi was dead…" Naruko's heart sank. "But we are not here to mourn those long dead," he continued. "I can immediately instate you as special jounin. It will allow you to operate without drawing too much attention to your sudden appearance and promotion, which I'm sure you wouldn't want." Naruko inclined her head gratefully. "However," Sarutobi raises a finger, "you will not have the clearance you are no doubt used to. This could be remedied were you to join Anbu, but, as you know, extensive background checks would be required. Those could be forged, but would come with a host of new issues."

"Special jounin will suffice. I don't care what level of clearance I have." Sarutobi sighed.

"Yes, I'm sure you don't. In any case, I will allow you the freedom to do as you must, but you will still report back to me. I want briefings just like any other mission." Naruko eyed him evenly.

"Of course, Lord Hokage. Will that be all?"

"It will," Sarutobi sighed. She stood from her chair, giving a slight bow before turning on her heal.

"Oh, and Naruko?" She stopped, glancing at him from over her shoulder.

"I would ask that you get to know the other jounin. You should not have to shoulder this burden alone."

"Is that an order?" Naruko asked.

"It is," Sarutobi said shortly, turning to the paperwork littering his desk. Recognizing her dismissal, Naruko left the room.

* * *

 **Well, there's chapter two! Reviews are always greatly appreciated. If I get something wrong, the tone of a character, the mechanics of a jutsu, spelling, etc… Let me know! I don't know a word of Japanese (you may have noticed I haven't used any of the common suffixes) so I hope that won't cause too many issues. Thanks for reading, I hope you've enjoyed so far.**


	3. Building Bridges

**Chapter 3: Building Bridges**

* * *

Anko Mitarashi ran through the streets of Konoha, pulling a flustered Kurenai Yuhi behind her. She had just returned from a mission, and it was Kurenai's turn to pay for dango, as the poor woman would probably come to regret shortly. They struck quite the comical figure, many passing civilians and shinobi alike stopping to watch Kurenai get bodily dragged behind her slightly shorter counterpart. As they finally reached the dango stall and Anko released her vice-like hold, Kurenai was finally able to catch her breath.

"Why are you always in such a hurry?" She asked exasperatedly, straightening her white bandage dress.

"We were going to be late," said Anko simply, turning to place an extremely large order of dango, much to Kurenai's displeasure.

"Late?" Kurenai asked. "Late for what?" Anko grinned broadly.

"For dango!"

Kurenai winced slightly as she was given the bill.

* * *

They took their dango to the jounin lounge, which was the go-to hangout spot for almost everyone who had earned the rank. While not anything extravagant, the lounge offered a relatively quiet and comfortable space, boasting enough furniture to sit all the jounin at once, if required. Anko threw both doors wide open, holding the pose for a moment for added effect, grinning through the stick of dango that hung from her mouth. Her smile slowly faded into a frown, her eyes narrowing as she looked around the joining lounge. _Something_ was off. She wasn't sure what it was yet, but she would find out. Quickly, she pulled a confused Kurenai to a nearby table, making sure to sit so that she could see the whole room.

"What's going on, Anko?" Kurenai asked, wondering silently if she really wanted to know the answer.

"I don't know," Anko admitted, "Something is different." Kurenai craned her neck over her shoulder, only for Anko to lunge across the table and grab her face to hold her still.

"Don't move," she hissed, the glint in her eyes alarming Kurenai slightly. "They might notice you." With a feral grin, Anko continued to scan the room. The disturbance wasn't a some _thing_ but rather a some _one_. She was sure of it. When she found the new jounin… Kurenai looked positively horrified at Anko's evil smirk.

"There," she said quietly, subtly gesturing to the other side of the room. Kurenai followed the gesture, careful not to appear conspicuous, lest Anko grab her again. At one of the tables, a lone woman sat with her back turned away from them, most likely eating her lunch.

"Anko, she probably just wants to be left alone…" Even as the words escaped her lips, Kurenai knew it was pointless. Anko's smile widened.

"I know." Harassing the newbies was one of Anko's favorite pastimes. Watching them tremble in fear always made for a good laugh, and this time would be no different. A little bit of hazing never hurt anyone, she figured.

Casually, yet stealthily, she approached the lone woman's table. She couldn't help but admire the unknown kunoichi as she drew closer. Her choice of clothing, at least, was definitely Anko-approved. She wore tight black pants, made out of a stretchy material that left little to the imagination, as well as making Anko slightly jealous. Covering her torso was a red tank top and her jounin vest, which she had left unzipped. Anko reached the woman and trailed a hand over the woman's shoulder, making her whip around in surprise. Anko's smirk diminished slightly as the woman's deep blue eyes met her own, forcing herself to keep her cocky attitude. This chick was a fucking _bombshell_. Her previous less-than-kind intentions were instantly thrown out the window, only to be replaced with more debaucherous ones.

"It's so good to see new faces here," she said sweetly before extending a hand, which the woman reluctantly took. "I'm Anko Mitarashi."

"Naruko Uzumaki," the woman responded. Anko's grin widened as she slid into the seat across from her.

"I haven't seen you before. New jounin?" Naruko's face scrunched up slightly, and Anko had to hold back a squeal as she noticed the whisker-like marks on each of Naruko's cheeks.

"Special jounin, actually."

"Oh? Same as me, then. I'm sure we'll get along just fine," Anko purred, slightly brushing Naruko's leg with her foot.

"Y-yes," Naruko agreed, a hint of a blush tinging her cheeks, "I'm sure we will." Anko's grin turned predatory. She had Naruko right where she wanted her.

"I'm sure your new position is quite intimidating. I could always," She paused, trailing a finger over her bottom lip, "show you the ropes…"

"Anko, quit harassing our new coworker." Kurenai sat down next to them, prompting a frown from Anko. She totally had this woman in the bag, a few more smooth lines and they would have undoubtedly gone back to Anko's place for some hot, sweaty sex. At least, that was the plan. "I'm Kurenai Yuhi, I see you've already met Anko here," Kurenai continued kindly.

"Naruko Uzumaki, pleasure to meet you." Anko glowered, Kurenai was going to pay for this.

"Yo! Naruko!" The voice startled the trio, all three heads turning to see Kakashi waving their way. "The Hokage wants to see you." Naruko quickly stood from the table, excusing herself smoothly, before following Kakashi out the door. Anko turned slowly to Kurenai, whose smile slowly faded as she noticed the look Anko was leveling her way.

"What the _fuck_ was that, Kurenai?" She growled, prompting a wince from her friend.

"W-what are you talking about?"

"I had that fine piece-of-ass in the bag, and you just _had_ to go and ruin it for me?" She folded her arms, still wearing her meanest scowl. "It's official, you owe me sex."

"I owe you _what_?" Kurenai asked, flabbergasted. Anko's scowl slowly turned into a smirk.

"You ruined my chance for a good lay. It's only fair that you pay me back."

"I am _not_ having sex with you Anko, for the last time."

Anko grinned triumphantly, despite Kurenai's response. In the end, she always got her way.

* * *

Naruko found herself once more in the Hokage's office as Sarutobi regarded her over his folded hands.

"If the mission is as you say, it is even more imperative that you go along." Naruko sighed, knowing he was right. She _really_ didn't want to have to deal with fresh genin, especially the ones who were on her old team. Sure, they matured well enough, but Naruko knew better than anyone how much they struggled early in their shinobi careers.

What Sarutobi wanted from her was simple enough. To pose as a special jounin, she would actually have to act the part. That wasn't unexpected. What surprised her was when he asked her to accompany Kakashi's team on an escort mission to the Land of Waves. An unassuming mission she had undertaken twelve years ago. It was lucky, really, that Sarutobi had requested her to join the mission. It hadn't occurred to her that without her on the team, the mission outcome could have been drastically different. While sending any other jounin level shinobi would suffice, Sarutobi was correct in that she should play her part, if she was to be a special jounin. She was simply not looking forward to dealing with an angsty young Sasuke, and the fangirlish Sakura. Admittedly, she had not been much better when she was a fresh genin, and had been far too stupid to notice the obvious fact that Sakura was not, in fact, into girls. The amount of times she had gotten rejected...

"I'll do it. Who is it that replaced me on team seven anyway?" Sarutobi smiled kindly.

"That would be one Inuzuka Kiba."

"Kiba," she mused, "Kakashi has his hands full, I bet." Sarutobi laughed cordially.

"That he does. You leave tomorrow morning," he said, handing her the full mission details, "don't be late."

* * *

Naruko arrived at the front gates of Konoha exactly three hours and one minute after the time they agreed to meet. She saw, with no small amount of satisfaction, that Kakashi had arrived just before her. It was something on an achievement, really, to be later than the Copy Ninja himself.

"Why were _you_ late?" Demanded Sakura, apparently having gone through a similar conversation with Kakashi.

"I had business with the Hokage," Naruko lied smoothly. "As a newly appointed special jounin, I had to sign a few documents before my first mission began." Sasuke grunted in annoyance, while Sakura glared at her suspiciously.

"At least she had an actual excuse," sighed Kiba. Akamaru yipped in agreement, perched on Kiba's shoulder. Naruko, for her part, was trying not to be thrown off by the bizarreness of the situation. Here were three of her close friends, not only alive again, but young genin. She had almost forgotten how long Sakura's hair used to be, and how brooding Sasuke had been. Tazuna, the bridge builder they were escorting, remained silent, though he didn't look the least bit pleased with his chosen guard.

"Let's head out, then" Kakashi chirped merrily, and they were off.

* * *

Kakashi walked a few paces behind Naruko watching her as he had been ever since they left Konoha, ignoring the bickering of the genin behind him. He had been surprised when Sarutobi had told him that he would have a special jounin accompanying him for his team's first C-rank mission, and even more so when he realized that it was Naruko, the woman he found unconscious in the forest. Apparently, the old man trusted her. That alone was usually enough for Kakashi, but there her had multiple reasons not to fully let his guard down around her. Foremost was that she didn't appear on any records until recently. Very recently. Exactly the date he had found her in the forest, just the week before. He had asked the other jounin, and aside from Anko and Kurenai, none of them knew who she was. Even then, it was revealed that the two friends had only met her in the past few days. It was more than enough reason to believe that she wasn't from the village at all.

And yet Sarutobi had personally assigned her to the mission, as well as giving her the rank of special jounin. The Hokage clearly knew something he didn't, which he could fully accept, but some things still didn't add up. Where Naruko some secret agent that only answered to the Hokage himself, which would be the most likely reason for her lack of record, she would have gone into Anbu after completing her mission. There, she would still be able to operate under relative secrecy, and it was a job to match the skillset of a long-term covert operative. Someone who was worth a complete record wipe would not be instated as a mere special jounin. What was more, the looks she kept giving him and his team when she thought he wasn't watching were strange to say the least. He detected no ill intent from them, but her eyes held a certain melancholy that surprised him. He was unsure why. She couldn't have known his students before a week ago, yet she way she looked at them...it seemed almost familiar.

Something suddenly caught his eye, rousing him from his thoughts. Something that should not have been there… The puddle looked innocent enough, at least to the untrained eye. He kept walking, giving no sign that he had noticed anything out of the ordinary. This would be an interesting test for his genin.

* * *

Naruko held back a snort. It was pathetic that she had missed such an obvious disguise when she had undergone this mission as a genin. A puddle? Really? She could crush those weak ninja in an instant, but it would be interesting to see how well team seven handled their first confrontation. Secretly she hoped it would be worse than when she was on the team, if only to boost her ego slightly.

In an instant, Kakashi was tangled in a long line of razor wire that stretched between gauntlets worn by the two ninja who had appeared just behind him. There was only enough time for his single visible eye to widen in astonishment before the wire was pulled tight, instantly cutting through his body. Or so it appeared. Naruko appreciated a perfect **Kawarimi** ( **substitution)** when she saw it.

"One down," came the distorted voice of one of the ninja. Both were wearing gas masks on their faces, dressed in typical Kiri shinobi gear. They rushed for her next, their movement almost painfully slow. The most impressive part about the Demon Brothers was that somebody had bothered giving these pathetic shinobi a title in the first place.

"Two down," the other said as the razor wire began arching towards her neck. Suddenly, a shuriken caught the wire, a kunai following in short suit to momentarily pin it to a tree. Naruko smirked. Sasuke always was quite the showoff. The Demon Brothers quickly disconnected the wire from the gauntlets on their hands, but Sasuke was already upon them. He landed on their shoulders, grabbing their extended arms before delivering a powerful kick to each of their jaws. They recovered quickly, both dashing to Tazuna in an attempt to finish him off before they could react. Sakura and Kiba finally had enough sense to actually do their job, rushing in front of Tazuna with defensive stances. Their efforts were in vain, however, because neither ninja got remotely close to actually striking their charge.

One was grabbed by Kakashi, who appeared before Tazuna with a smooth **shunshin** , while the other was currently unconscious some ways away, after Naruko had kicked him in the chest, subsequently causing him to smash head first into a tree. Sakura and Kiba practically had stars in their eyes at the display, and even Sasuke looked mildly intrigued by the ease with which the Demon Brothers were defeated.

"Tazuna," Kakashi began with false indifference, "these shinobi were clearly after you. Our mission parameters stated to protect you from thieves or gangs, not that you would be targeted by shinobi. It is clear to me that this is at least a B-ranked mission, something that my team is not yet prepared for." Tazuna sighed, knowing he had been caught.

"You are right, this job is probably outside of your duties. A dangerous man is after my life. Gatou." Kakashi showed no visible reaction, while the genin simply looked confused. "Officially, he runs a large shipping company," Tazuna explained. "But in reality, he sells drugs and other illicit items, using ninja as his personal thugs to take over businesses and countries. He has a monopoly on all shipping in the Wave Country, which would be lessened by the completion of the bridge to the mainland. I would have liked to be open with you, but we simply couldn't afford a B-ranked mission."

"C'mon Kakashi-sensei," Kiba whined. "We gotta help them. I bet with two high ranking shinobi, we can kick anyone's ass!" Sakura didn't look as convinced. Akamaru barked excitedly. Sasuke simply shrugged.

"It's settled, then," Kakashi sighed. "We'll escort you the rest of the way."

* * *

The next few hours were uneventful enough as they took a small boat to Wave Country. They picked their way through the thick mangroves lining the coast until the trees opened up into a forest not unlike those around Konoha. The genin appeared much more wary than they had before. It was understandable, after experiencing their first shinobi battle. Kiba especially would jump at every disturbance, much to Tazuna's annoyance. Kakashi looked as bored as ever, though she could tell that even he was on the alert. Naruko, however, couldn't help a twinge of anticipation. She knew exactly what was to come.

She felt a presence behind them, followed an instant later by Kakashi's quick command.

"Get down!" All of them hit the ground, only avoiding the massive sword by inches as it spun over them. A man appeared next to the blade in a **shunshin** , which had lodged halfway into a tree trunk, quickly pulling it from its position. He had a mask over the lower half of his face, and was dressed only in grey pants, save the bandages wrapped around his forearms and lower legs.

"Well, well," Kakashi droned, "if it isn't Momochi Zabuza, traitor to the hidden mist." He reached a hand out, preventing Kiba from lunging forward. "Everybody get back. This man is on a whole other level." Kakashi slowly lifted the forehead protector covering his left eye to reveal a sharingan eye. The genin gasped collectively, even Sasuke displaying surprise at the revelation. Naruko, of course, had long since known of Kakashi's transplanted eye, and regarded the scenario with indifference.

"I already get to see the famous sharingan? I'm honored," Zabuza mocked. "To fight Kakashi of the sharingan, the man who was copied over a thousand jutsus. Truly an occasion to write about in my diary." He performed a **shunshin** , appearing a short distance away, standing on the glassy surface of a nearby lake.

" **Kirigakure no jutsu (hidden mist jutsu)**." A heavy fog quickly saturated the air, reducing their visibility to only a few feet in any direction.

"He'll come after me first," Kakashi said grimly.

"Eight choices," echoed Zabuza's eerie voice, "Liver, lungs, spine, subclavian vein, jugular, brain, kidneys, heart… Which one should I go after?" Zabuza's killing intent leaked into the air, causing the genin to shiver visibly. That combined with the chakra in the mist made the air feel heavy and strange, enough to easily unsettle most ninja.

"Don't worry guys," Kakashi said with a reassuring smile, "I won't let anything happen to you."

"We'll see about that." Zabuza appeared in the center of their defensive formation, his blade already arching towards Tazuna's neck. Naruko moved quickly, deflecting the massive blade with a kunai as Kakashi stabbed another through Zabuza's back. Zabuza looked shocked for one brief moment, before his body melted into a puddle of water, signifying that he had been nothing more than a clone. Before Kakashi could move, Zabuza appeared behind him, cleaving him in half with a sideways slash. Kakashi too melted away into water, appearing at Zabuza's side, a kunai racing towards his neck.

"It's over," Kakashi yelled, his sharingan spinning wildly.

"No, now it's over." Again, Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi, intending to end his life. Naruko almost laughed. It seemed Zabuza only knew one trick.

" **Moeru ken (burning fist)** " Zabuza had just enough time to look surprised before her fist, surrounded in fiery chakra, connected with the side of his head. He was sent airborne, flying all the way to the lake where he landed with a loud splash. The genin gasped with wonder, and even Kakashi dropped his calm facade, if only for a moment.

" **Ryuka no jutsu (dragon flame jutsu)** " Flames poured from her mouth, connecting with a massive surge of water that suddenly erupted from the lake. Steam exploded outwards from the collision in a massive hiss, both justus fading away as the user halted the flow of chakra. Zabuza appeared once more, standing on the surface of the lake. The right side of his face was blackened, where the flesh had clearly been burnt away.

"Are you ready to die, Momochi Zabuza?" She asked calmly, unsealing her katana before spinning it smoothly in her hands.

Two senbon needles whistled through the air, lodging firmly in Zabuza's neck. Before his limp body could even sink below the waves, he was picked up by a kimono clad hunter nin, a white mask covering their face.

"It appears," the hunter nin said in a distinctly feminine voice, "that he was." Naruko smirked. This was what she had been waiting for. She subtly made a shadow clone out of sight, then switched places with it seamlessly. Through the trees, she could see team seven converse with the supposed hunter nin, before the masked ninja grabbed Zabuza's body and disappeared in a **shunshin.** Naruko quickly followed with her own, and it took only seconds to catch them. As her presence was felt, the hunter nin, who Naruko knew to be Haku, turned around.

"What are you doing here, Konoha-san?" Haku asked politely, though he placed Zabuza slightly behind himself in a subtle defensive gesture.

"I would talk with you," Naruko said simply. Haku inclined his head, perhaps realizing he could not escape her.

"I do not care what it is Gatou promised you," Naruko continued icily, "if you come back to finish the job, I will kill both of you." She unleashed her full killing intent on Haku, forcing the boy the his knees under the sheer pressure. "It would be easy. I have killed far more powerful shinobi than a pair of foolish upstarts." With that, she disappeared, quickly switching places with her clone before dispelling it. She smiled slightly as they made their way to Tazuna's house. What good was reliving her life a second time if she didn't save some lives along the way?

* * *

Kakashi found himself once more trying to solve the enigma that was Naruko Uzumaki. He sat with the rest of team seven and Naruko at the circular dining table in Tazuna's home, as his daughter Tsunami served them dinner. Now, more than ever, Naruko intrigued him. She was clearly a very high level kunoichi, but to what degree he could only guess. The genin were ecstatic at her ninjutsu display earlier, Sakura especially was head over heels that a kunoichi could be so powerful. However, they failed to realise just how strong she was. Kakashi had no doubt that she had been holding back on her abilities during the initial encounter with the Demon Brothers. She waited to move until the very last moment, but when she did, even he couldn't follow her movements. Zabuza had been similarly blindsided, which could have been written off as him simply underestimating the kunoichi. Kakashi, however, wasn't so sure. She had very clearly avoided conflict until there was immediate mortal danger to either Tazuna or team seven. Were she a kunoichi of typical special jounin strength, she would have acted immediately, even if she wasn't capable of fighting someone like Zabuza. She was trying to appear weaker than she was, and doing a very poor job of it. His suspicions had been confirmed when she had performed a massive fire jutsu to preemptively counter a _water_ jutsu of all things, using one-handed hand seals. He knew of _very_ few people who were able to do that. She probably didn't even realize she was doing it, but either way her disguise was incomplete. This in and of itself raised further questions. If she wasn't trained in holding a false persona, why would she have been on a secret long term mission, as he originally suspected she had been.

"I would like a word with you, Naruko," he said suddenly, causing the genin to look up sharply from their food, "alone. Is there anywhere we can talk?" He asked Tsunami, who nodded despite the confusion evident in her expression. She led them upstairs to an empty bedroom. Kakashi smiled kindly at Tsunami as she left, following her retreat back to the main level. As soon as she was out of sight, Kakashi spun on Naruko, pinning her to the wall before she could move. At least, he tried to. The kunai hovering near his neck made that slightly more difficult. He met her blue eyes with his, noticing how she held his gaze easily, despite their situation.

"Who are you?" He asked, slowly releasing his hold on her.

"You mistake me, Kakashi. I am not pretending to be anyone," Naruko said with annoying calmness.

"That's bullshit and you know it," he retorted hotly. "I know you're hiding something. If you threaten the completion of this mission…" He let the threat hang in the air, and Naruko sighed tiredly.

"You've done your research on me, have you?"

"I tried," Kakashi admitted, "it's strange for someone with your skillset and records to be shadowing a genin team on what seemed to be a simple C-rank mission."

"Very well, Hatake. I am on this mission to give the appearance that I am indeed a special jounin. As you know, my record is blank until recently. That will be fixed soon enough, but for know I have to play my part now that I'm back in the village." Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

"I would believe that if you weren't so unused to playing a persona. You clearly have no idea how to downplay your abilities properly."

"I don't need personas in my line of work. As I said, I'm merely playing my part until I go back out into the field." Kakashi still didn't believe her entirely, but decided to back down. If she wanted to sabotage their mission, she had already had plenty of chances. It was still possible she had an alternative motive for accompanying them to the Land of Waves, but as long as it didn't jeopardize the mission he didn't really care.

"Very well," he conceded, "though I will still have to bring this to the Hokage's attention. Naruko inclined her head politely.

"Of course."

Kakashi turned and walked out the door, his ears barely catching the single word Naruko muttered after him. He stopped for a brief moment, before shaking himself and descending the stairs to the ground level. It must have been his imagination, for there was no reason for this mysterious, powerful kunoichi to call him "sensei".

* * *

Naruko awoke early the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed. She shared a room with Sakura and Tsunami, while the boys split the two remaining bedrooms. The two women were still sleeping peacefully, despite the rays of sun that began to slowly brighten the room. Silently, Naruko crept past their sleeping forms, slipping silently out the door.

She found Kakashi in the kitchen. He gave her a welcoming smile, despite their encounter the night before.

"I was hoping you would help me with something today," he said, casually flipping the page of his _Icha Icha_ book.

"And what's that?" Naruko asked, though she already suspected the answer.

"Training the genin," he said simply, confirming her suspicions. She almost smiled. It was just like it was when she was a genin.

"Why bother?" Came a sullen voice at the staircase. Naruko turned to find Inari, Tsunami's son, glaring at them from the landing. "You're all just going to die anyway. Nobody can beat Gatou." Were his story not so sad, Naruko would have laughed at him. Still, she had no patience for those with so little spirit.

"You would be a fool to think so," she said coldly, ignoring Inari's glare.

"You won't be saying that when he sends his thugs after you," the young boy shouted angrily.

"Oh? And why would I care? I've fought..." She caught herself, purposefully avoiding Kakashi's eyes, "...much more than mere thugs."

It was simple enough, really. Gatou was a man, and all men could be burned.

* * *

"Tree climbing? How is _that_ going to train us?" Kiba asked incredulously. Akamaru yipped from his shoulder.

"By channeling your chakra in the bottoms of your feet, you will be able to stick to surfaces, enabling you to walk up walls, trees, or even upside down," Naruko explained patiently. "This exercise teaches you primarily chakra control. Too much chakra, and you will crack the wood. Too little, and you will fall." She smirked. "Begin."

As she expected, Sakura was able to master the exercise almost immediately. Naruko sent her immediately to practice water walking, which proved much more difficult for the young girl, especially with her low chakra reserves. Kiba and Sasuke were having lesser degrees of success with tree climbing, though Kiba was getting most of the way up the tree simply because of his high agility. The sight brought a hint of nostalgia to Naruko. It felt like so long ago that she was climbing, or trying to climb these very same trees.

"Sensei?" Kiba asked from his position on the ground, where he lay sprawled on his back after falling from the tree.

"Yes, Kiba?"

"Is there any trick to this 'tree climbing' thing?" Naruko smiled slightly at that.

"When I was your age, my sensei made my team train with this very exercise. I was horrible at it, easily worse than both of you." Her grin widened at Kiba's expression of wonder, and she noticed that even Sasuke was listening intently. "And yet I mastered the exercise, just as you will, because of one thing. Practice." Kiba deflated slightly at her revelation, but she continued kindly, "There are no shortcuts in the shinobi world. You can choose to hone your abilities, or," she shrugged, "you can waste your potential. There is a reason Konoha is the strongest of the shinobi villages."

"And what's that?" Asked Kiba.

"The will of fire," Naruko answered with a grin. Kiba hauled himself upright from his position on the ground with a determined expression, before once more sprinting up the tree.

"It almost seems like you've done this before," Kakashi commented, appearing suddenly behind her. Naruko smiled wistfully.

"You might say that I had a good teacher."

* * *

The next week passed in similar fashion, Naruko and Kakashi took turns guarding the bridge builders, while the other would train the genin. Team seven made surprising progress, especially for the short time period. Sasuke and Kiba had definite improvements to their chakra control, and were now both able to complete the tree climbing exercise with little to no difficulty. Sakura had almost mastered water walking, but perhaps more importantly, she had increased her abysmal stamina. Naruko had been especially interesting in Kiba's progress, because she had never known exactly what abilities he had as a new genin. The boy was definitely fast, and was already beginning to learn his clan's jutsus, though he could not perform any other ninjutsu. It was also apparent that he didn't have much in the way of an analytical mind, which Naruko hoped Kakashi would help remedy. She had always been the type to brute force her way through things, which tended to work as one of the most powerful shinobi in the world. Kiba could not boast such a claim, and would need to learn at least basic combat tactics before he got himself killed.

"Yo!" Kakashi saluted easily, joining Naruko as she watched the bridge builders work. "The genin are all here too. I think Gatou will make his move today. If Zabuza returns-"

"It would be foolish of him to do so," Naruko cut in. They had already discussed the likely possibility that Zabuza hadn't been killed by the hunter nin, who hadn't used standard procedure by not immediately destroying the body. Of course, Naruko knew the truth to the situation, but she had no reason to tell Kakashi. She was confident they would heed her warning, and if so it didn't matter what Kakashi knew.

"The genin look up to you, you know," Kakashi said suddenly. "What you did in the fight with Zabuza…" Naruko snorted.

"Child's play." Kakashi gave her a sidelong glance.

"That kick, I've never seen anything like it before."

"Of course you have," replied Naruko easily. "My taijutsu style involves using fire nature chakra to both enhance movement and deliver a little extra...oomph. It's based on the Hyuga's style, just with a lot less finesse and a lot more fire." She grinned.

"You would need a very large chakra pool to keep that up for extend fights," Kakashi pointed out.

"Yes," Naruko agreed, "you would." Kakashi perked up suddenly, his head swivelling to the other side of the bridge.

"Evacuate the builders. I'll keep them occupied until everyone is gone." He paused, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "And try to leave at least a _little_ challenge for my genin this time." Naruko smirked.

Evacuating the builders was easy, Naruko's shadow clones quickly escorting them to safety, before most dispelled. She left two in case of any further trouble, but she doubted they would be needed.

She arrived at Kakashi's side along with the three genin. True to his word, Kakashi had done a fine job of "keeping them occupied" even though all he had done was trade insults with Gatou. The man was short, with matted grey hair, and wore an expensive business suit that looked out of place due to his ratty complexion. The most impressive thing about the man was that somehow he had managed to get a hundred or so ninja to fight for him. The dumbest ninja on the planet, most likely. She unsealed her crimson blade, twirling it experimentally in her hands. Behind her, Kiba got down on all fours, Akamaru growling at his side.

"Let's go wild!"

Naruko grinned.

* * *

Naruko spun, killing yet another ninja with a clean swing of her blade. The genin were having a bit more difficulty, but as long as they stayed far enough back they wouldn't get overwhelmed by the difference in numbers. These ninja were chunin level at best, and some of them were even weaker than that. She sighed, dispatching another ninja with a quick spin kick. Fighting such weak opponents was so _boring_.

"Naruko!" Her head whipped around to where Kakashi was fighting, catching his desperate gesture behind them. She spun, her eyes widening as she saw several ninja closing in on an injured Sasuke. Behind him, Kiba was on his back, and Sakura looked to be at a total loss for what to do. It was likely that Kiba had gotten impatient and rushed headlong into the fray, forcing Sasuke to come to his rescue. ' _Shit!_ ' She thought, as multiple blades raced down towards Sasuke's unprotected body. There was only one way she would be able to save him. The kunai was already racing towards her target, and in her panic she failed to notice Sasuke's eyes begin to spin.

" **Hiraishin! (flying thunder god)** " She appeared in front of Sasuke, cutting down three ninja before anyone had a chance to react. Sasuke too, in a burst of speed that shouldn't have been possible for a genin, dispatched two ninja with his own kunai. His eyes widened as he saw her, only for her to grab him by the arm and disappear once more.

All three of the genin appeared slightly dazed as she set them down next to the bridge builders, before vanishing in a flash. She quickly ran to Kakashi's side, even he was beginning to get overwhelmed by the sheer numbers disadvantage. They fought back-to-back, easily cutting down the mercenaries before them. She could have killed them all with one jutsu, but Tazuna would probably be angry if he had to rebuild his bridge again.

"After we're done here," he said with unnerving calmness, killing a ninja with a kunai to the throat, "we are going to have a bit of a chat." Naruko sighed. She wasn't looking forward to _that_.

* * *

 **"** **Lord Hokage," Kakashi said, getting the man's attention. Sarutobi looked up from his paperwork, accepting the mission details Kakashi handed him. The bridge had been completed with no further incident, and Gatou had been handed off to the people of the Land of Waves, who had most likely executed him. The genin were still slightly shaken from the encounter, but had all gained the resolve they needed to improve their skills. Sasuke especially, with his newly acquired sharingan, had grown in leaps and bounds.**

"What is it, Kakashi?" He asked kindly, though Kakashi suspected that the Hokage already knew why he was here.

"It's about Naruko." Sarutobi sighed, gesturing to the chair across from him.

"Sit down, then." Kakashi did so, trying to decide where to begin.

"Why did you assign her to accompany my team?"

"What has she told you?" Sarutobi countered.

"That she is merely masquerading as a special jounin. She has no records prior to the day I found her in the forest."

"You will find," Sarutobi said agreeably, "that she now does. She graduated high in her class at the academy, accepting her promotion to chunin at the age of fourteen. While she certainly has her merits, it was not enough to earn a full promotion to jounin."

"She can use the **Hiraishin** ," Kakashi said, trying to keep his annoyance from showing.

"Indeed," Sarutobi said pleasantly. "As you say, she is merely masquerading as a special jounin. Sometimes, it is useful for an agent to have no record, allowing them to operate in total secrecy." Kakashi inclined his head, this he already knew. "However," Sarutobi continued, "A shinobi without a record arouses suspicion when they come back into the light, as you have already demonstrated. Thus, the need for her to have one. I'm afraid I won't speak further on the subject."

Kakashi stood, bowing once before exiting the Hokage's office. His questions hadn't really been answered, but at least he knew that Naruko meant to harm to the village. Still, she was an interesting variable. Her use of the **Hiraishin** almost guaranteed that she had known his sensei, Minato Namikaze. She was probably only a few years younger than himself, so it stood to reason she had known who Minato was. If she was able to use his signature technique, she must have operated directly under him during his time as Hokage. That had been a startling revelation, to say the least. The second he saw her use the **Hiraishin** , he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was the most dangerous person he had ever met. She knew the jutsu that made a man into a legend, without anyone even knowing her name.

"Naruko Uzumaki," he mused, "I wonder what else you have up your sleeve..."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Feel free to PM me as well, with any questions, comments, or concerns.**


	4. Breaking the Curse

**Chapter 4: Breaking the Curse**

* * *

"And you have proof of this?" Sarutobi asked, regarding Naruko shrewdly over the tops of his folded hands. Once again, she found herself sitting at his desk, subject to his contemplative gaze.

"It doesn't matter if I do or do not," Naruko countered, waving a hand airily. "Nor do I care if you believe me. If need be, I will destroy their army myself. Your suspicion is understandable...but unfounded."

"You have a great deal of confidence," Sarutobi said softly. "Some might even say arrogance." Naruko snorted.

"Those who survive the fires of battle are reforged anew. None have been more honed than I."

"Perhaps," Sarutobi replied evenly. "Though should Suna mount a full-scale attack as you suggest, and with Orochimaru at its head, the amount of lives lost will be massive." Naruko inclined her head.

"For them."

"Even so, it would be best to spare as many lives as possible, especially if Suna is being tricked into attacking us as you suggest." Naruko scowled. She wasn't _suggesting_ anything, she _knew_ exactly what was going to happen. To make matters worse, taking down opponents without killing them was not one of her stronger attributes. Her techniques were designed to destroy armies, not gently admonish them. Perhaps if she knew how to use a single genjutsu that would be possible, but Naruko never bothered to try learning that subtle art. Her chakra control was good enough for it, but what good was breaking someone's mind when you could simply destroy their body?

"Might you enlighten me as to their plan of attack?" Sarutobi continued, breaking Naruko from her thoughts. "Perhaps then we will know how to proceed."

Naruko wasn't sure if Sarutobi was fully believing what she was telling him, but she continued anyway.

"Their tactics are simple," she began, betraying none if her thoughts, "Orochimaru will be masquerading as the Kazekage, whom he has already killed. He will attack you directly, using four bodyguards to create a **Four Flames Formation** barrier to keep you isolated. Meanwhile, the main attack will begin. The Kazekage's son, Gaara, is a jinchuriki. He will attempt to take down the South wall, and allow the Suna army into Konoha." Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, his expression unchanging.

"Will I survive my encounter with Orochimaru?" He asked the question with total calmness, but still Naruko paused. It wasn't that she hadn't been expecting the question, but it did bring back some rather unpleasant memories. She had been a genin at the time of the attack, and that day she had lost one of the few people who had ever shown her kindness when Sarutobi was killed.

"You did, before," she said slowly. "But you were alone against Orochimaru. Even by yourself you were able to seal away his arms with the **Dead Demon Consuming Seal** before your death. With proper planning he will not be a threat." Sarutobi regarded her thoughtfully.

"You have done Konoha a great service, if what you say is true."

"That should not surprise you if you remember what I was," she countered, before pausing, tilting her head as she thought back. "Do you know what they called me, back then?" Sarutobi was kind enough to indulge her.

"What did they call you?"

"They called me The Dragon. The Last Shadow. They said my fire could burn the sun. If I wanted to harm this village…" She stood abruptly from her chair, regarding Sarutobi imperially. "It would already be ash."

* * *

Naruko absently wended her way through the streets, which were surprisingly empty despite it being only early in the evening. Everything was exactly as she remembered. The same shops, with their old wooden roofs and ugly power lines. The same streets, narrow and unclean. The same people. She thought back to a few weeks before, when Anko had approached her in the jounin lounge. _That_ had been a strange experience. Loyal, hard-headed Anko. How that woman had terrified her, when she was younger. In truth, she had never known Anko too well. Outside of their occasional conversations during the war, they had never spoken much. It was true that, in her younger years, she had formed a bit of a crush for the woman, but that had been nothing more than teenage hormones at work. Perhaps it was because they were so much alike. Both of them grew up without family, experienced the pain of being hated for what they were. They even had similar personalities, at least before.

When Anko approached her, Naruko had been torn between the desires to laugh, and to run. While Anko was undeniably beautiful, it was almost too much when the purple-haired woman had tried _hitting_ on her. To make matters worse, Anko was clearly awful at wooing anybody with words. Most likely, it worked out for her anyway, though, because Anko's body was something men and women alike drooled over. Naruko most certainly wouldn't mind spending the night with Anko, hell, she even considered it for a moment back in the jounin lounge. Besides, sex was a great way to wind down after a mission. Or anytime at all, really. Of course, after she removed Anko's cursed seal, she would probably get immediately jumped anyway. She had completely forgotten about it on their first meeting. The seal itself was stubborn, but its failsafes were not quite fail _proof_. She had become very proficient in fuinjutsu during the war. She had recreated the **Hiraishin** , after all, though she kept its name.

And then, she made a seal to go back in time. It was not so different from the **Hiraishin** , in some ways. Her father's technique simply transported the user through space, while the seal she created transported them through time. It sounded simple enough, in her head, but the seal had taken years to perfect, even with countless clones working tirelessly on its mechanics. She had never bothered to give the technique a name. Nobody else would ever learn it anyway.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost failed to hear a faint scuffle happening a few blocks down. She cocked her head slightly as she caught wind of a faint yell, her eyes flicking immediately towards the sound. A **shunshin** took her to the disturbance in a whirl of flame.

Her sudden appearance had all eyes on her as she drank in the scene before her. The sand siblings Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro all gave her blank looks, despite the small boy Kankuro was holding up by the collar. The Hokage's grandson, Konohamaru, stared at her wide-eyed, despite the fact that he was dangling by the front of his shirt. His friends gaped at her with equal awe, as did Sakura, who stood slightly in front of them, shielding them from the Suna shinobi.

"Who are you?" Gaara asked tonelessly. He was exactly how she remembered him at their first meeting. Cold, emotionless, and downright creepy. Ignoring him, she turned to Kankuro.

"Is there any particular reason you're threatening the Hokage's grandson, dollface?" Kankuro snarled, dropping Konohamaru, who tumbled ungracefully to the ground.

"Dollface? I'm going to enjoy making you take that back, leaf whore." Apparently she had struck a nerve. The boy clearly wasn't very good at assessing the strength of his enemies, otherwise he would never have been foolish enough to say those words.

"Kankuro…" Temari sighed, clearly the most level headed of the siblings, "she isn't worth it."

"Shut up." Both ninja stiffened at the sound of their brothers cold voice. "You're a disgrace to our village. To lose control at one insult…" He was right, of course. Not that it kept him from being an arrogant fool. Gaara was too used to being the one in power. He thought he was invincible. Perhaps it would be fun to teach him otherwise.

"You, run along." Naruko waved away the children of Konoha. They weren't a part of this. "I'll have a word with our...guests." Sakura gave one more worried glance at the Suna shinobi, before ushering Konohamaru and his friends away. Naruko waited for them to disappear from sight before turning back to the three siblings, who tensed slightly at her expression.

"I trust you won't be causing any more trouble while you stay in Konoha," she said idly, watching them from the corner of her eye as she casually inspected her fingernails.

"Are you threatening us?" Kankuro growled, giving her what he must have assumed was an intimidating glare. As if she would be scared by a boy in makeup.

"Perhaps you think that you have a trump card," she continued, speaking directly to Gaara, allowing her voice to harden as she released her killing intent. The genin gasped, only Gaara able to stay upright under the massive pressure. Even he was sweating visibly under the almost palpable aura around them. Naruko almost smirked as she saw his hands trembling. Kankuro and Temari were shuddering violently, gasping for air as they clawed at the ground. It wasn't the worst she could have given them, but she needed them conscious. "Let there be no doubt," she continued evenly, as though the genin before her weren't struggling to keep themselves conscious. "Nothing trumps _me_." She gave the three ninja one more imperious look, satisfied that Kankuro and Temari were cowering slightly, before disappearing in a whirl of fire.

* * *

Anko knocked politely on the door to the Hokage's office. She wasn't really the type for politeness, nor knocking, but certain formalities were required when dealing with the most powerful man in Konoha. She entered at the call from within, her prepared greeting quickly dying in her throat.

In front of her, in her full, beautiful, curvy, red-haired glory, was the same kunoichi she had met in the jounin lounge. Wearing the same tight black pants…

"Naruko, what a pleasure to see you again. Have you considered my previous...offer?" Sarutobi looked between the two with a confused expression, which Anko ignored.

"I've...considered it," Naruko said slowly. Her voice was honey to Anko's ears, whether if that was because she had nearly accepted her...proposition, or whether it was simply her voice itself, Anko didn't care.

"Naruko has something she would like to...discuss with you," piped up Sarutobi, who was blissfully unaware of the thoughts _that_ sent racing through her mind.

"Yes," Anko purred. "I'm sure she does."

"I can get rid of your curse mark," Naruko said suddenly, bringing Anko's lecherous thoughts to a grinding halt. Her hands clenched so tightly into fists it hurt.

"Don't lie to me," she whispered. She found herself to be shaking, her teeth grinding together painfully. "Don't lie to me!"

"You will find," Naruko began, unfazed by Anko's outburst, "that there is nothing fire can't burn. People always think that fire is such a...volatile element. That it exists solely to destroy." Naruko held up one hand, a spinning ball of flame appearing in her upturned palm. Anko stared transfixed into its depths, her anger quickly evaporating away as she watched it dance and whirl. But not only that, there was something in Naruko's voice that was strangely...compelling. It was commanding, despite her soft tone. It reminded her strangely of Sarutobi, when he got serious. "Perhaps, in a way, they are right. But fire also creates life. All things in the universe turn to ashes, and from the ashes new life will sprout. I can burn away the decay that was forced upon you. The hold Orochimaru has on you will fade into dust. This I can give you, Anko Mitarashi." She wanted to believe it, she really did.

"Jiraiya already tried to remove the cursed seal," she said bitterly. "If he can't, nobody can."

"Anko," Sarutobi said gently, "this is no trick."

"I _can_ remove it," Naruko insisted. "Seals are something of a...specialty of mine." Anko sighed. There was no way that this was going to work, but she really had nothing to lose.

* * *

Naruko trailed her brush slowly over Anko's neck, tracing the same seal she had created years ago. They were in Konoha's hospital, simply for the extra precaution of having medics on standby should anything go awry. Not that they would really need them, dispelling Orochimaru's filthy seal would be all too easy. At least for her. Anko would not enjoy the process nearly as much. There was a reason Naruko had prepared extra sound-proofing seals on the room, after all.

Anko moaned yet again as the brush trailed over her neck, and Naruko had to suppress a blush. She was clearly doing it on purpose, and has insisted on completely removing her top to give Naruko more "access". Naruko was no prude herself, despite perhaps enjoying hot springs quite a bit more than most women, but Anko seemed to have a special skill for making other people hot under the collar.

Still, she pretended to ignore the warmth coloring her cheeks, stoically drawing her seal on Anko's exposed skin. It wasn't that she was against a quick tumble with the purple-haired kunoichi. In truth, Anko's roguish charm and more-than-stunning looks were more than enough to captivate her, but she didn't want to lose her focus. It wouldn't be pleasant should she accidentally kill the woman due to her gawking. She finished the last few brushstrokes, doggedly ignoring the way Anko was arching her hips. She reached across from her, grabbing a small but thick leather strip and handing it to Anko. It wouldn't do for her to bite her own tongue off from the pain.

"Mmm, kinky," Anko commented unashamedly as she received the object. "Looks like you're a woman after my own tastes." Despite the casual sounding remark, Anko did look a bit wary. Naruko could sympathize, she knew that this was going to hurt. Badly. Thankfully, any further comments were made impossible as Anko bit down on the leather, clearly trying to prepare herself for the inevitable pain.

"You ready?" Naruko asked gently. Anko nodded once, clenching her eyes shut. " **Kurenjingu kaen (cleansing flame)** " Anko's body instantly went rigid, her eyes snapping open instantly. Even the leather strip clenched between her teeth couldn't stifle the scream that tore itself from her throat.

* * *

Pain. That was the only thing Anko's mind could register. Her whole body twitched and spasmed violently from the pure agony that raced through her every cell. It felt like her whole chakra network was being burned away from the inside. She was no stranger to pain herself, but nothing had ever compared to this. Even when her cursed seal was at its worst, she was able to at least maintain a small amount of composure. Now, a mixture of tears and saliva was running down her face and pooling onto the sheets beneath her. Naruko was kind enough to at least turn her sideways, should she end up losing her last meal. She would have been screaming, but her throat had gone raw some time ago, and the most she could manage pathetic gasping noises. Vaguely, she decided that having a cursed seal didn't even seem so bad anymore.

She didn't know how long she was in agony, but it felt like years. What she did know, was that she had never been happier than when it stopped.

Slowly, she rolled onto her back, wiping the spit that trailed from the corner of her mouth. She tried to speak, but didn't manage more than a faint croak. She coughed, clearing her throat before trying again.

"D-did it work?" She gasped, not really sure if she wanted to hear the answer. Naruko approached the hospital bed, gently turning her neck to inspect it.

"It did," she said. "The curse mark is gone."

Anko didn't think she'd ever been so happy in her life. She channeled a bit of chakra, and though it was weak due to her current state, it was uninhibited by the mark. It almost didn't seem real, that she was finally rid of it. She felt as though a great weight was lifted from her shoulders, one she wasn't even fully aware of. She had always been able to feel the mark, of course, but as time went on it was easier to ignore. Still, it was these, eating away at her control of both chakra and her own mental state. Now, she could finally forget the past she had been trying for so long to bury. No longer did she have a permanent reminder of him. Orochimaru would fade, his memory would burn away in the same fire that freed her from his vile touch.

In a surge of strength that surprised both of them Anko leapt from the bed and slammed Naruko against the wall. Before either of them could form a reaction, she had her tongue down Naruko's throat.

Perhaps, if Anko thought about it, she would have decided it wasn't a good idea to forcibly kiss someone she barely knew. Then again, Anko was never one to overthink things. Or think about things at all, really. She was a woman of action; when she wanted something, she took it. Instead, she focused all her attention on thoroughly exploring Naruko's mouth with her tongue, as her hands set about ravishing the woman before her. She was almost taken by surprise when Naruko's tongue surged forward to battle with her own, the slightly smaller kunoichi trying, and failing, to reverse their positions with a quick spin. Anko held back a smirk. This wasn't a game she would lose. She quickly pinned Naruko's hands at her sides, then slowly slid them upwards above her head. The position thrust Naruko's breasts forward, pressing them into her own. There was something about a woman's curves that Anko loved. Men were all hard muscle, so eager to prove their manhood through domination. Women, on the other hand, were more supple. There was something about a woman's soft compliance and sensual curvature that drove Anko wild. She grasped both wrists in one hand, enjoying the way Naruko tried to arch further into her touch. She withdrew from the kiss, nipping along Naruko's jaw as the red haired kunoichi gasped for air. With her newly freed hand, she grabbed Naruko's ass, roughly shoving one of her thighs between Naruko's, slamming her once more into the wall as she ground upwards. Anko smirked at the long moan that escaped Naruko's lips. She ground her thigh harder between Naruko's legs, smashing their lips together roughly. Finally, she let Naruko's hands free, which instantly flew to tangle in her hair. Anko quickly set to work on Naruko's pants now that both her hands were free, which proved quite a bit more difficult since her lips were still firmly connected with Naruko's. She struggled for a few seconds, her hands fumbling lamely with the waistline before heaving their lips apart with a frustrated growl. She brought her lips next to Naruko's ear as she began to slide her pants down her thighs, relishing the shudder that ran through the other woman's body.

"I gonna make you come so hard," she purred, licking slowly up Naruko's ear, "you're not gonna be able to stand for a-"

"Hello? Is everything-" _Fuck_. Anko whirled around, trying, probably in vain, to cover Naruko from eyesight with her body. A pointless gesture, their mussed hair and swollen lips were evidence enough. Behind her, she could hear the redhead scrambling to pull her pants all the way up, as a young medic-nin stood frozen in the doorway. The poor girl tried valiantly to keep from staring at Anko's topless form, and was quickly turning a dangerous shade of red. Anko suspected that it was quite the scene, walking in to find two women making out, one without a shirt and the other quickly losing her pants. She was at least thankful that the shinobi that walked in on them was female. "Ok?" The girl finished lamely.

Anko sighed. Didn't anyone know that it's polite to knock?

* * *

Naruko annihilated a training target with her **Burning Fist** , using perhaps more force than was necessary. She turned to the next one with a snarl, bombarding it with a flurry of punches and kicks that were each strong enough to be lethal. It was stupid, what she had done back in the hospital. Of _course_ Anko was going to act that way when her seal was removed. She had before. Naruko had expected it, and yet she let herself be carried away by _lust_ of all things. With a cry, she destroyed another target with a fiery spin kick, landing smoothly in a crouch. Her chest heaved with each heavy breath, her sweat evaporating instantly when it made contact with her flames. It had always been the same, even before. She always had a weakness for beautiful women. She _hated_ having weaknesses. It had cost her in the past, and it would again if she wasn't careful.

She wasn't angry at Anko, nor was she opposed, at least in principle, to what had happened earlier. No, she was angry only at herself, for being too weak to stop. Naruko liked to be in control. She _needed_ to be in control. And then Anko took that away from her, and it felt so _good_. She took a deep breath, the flames surrounding her hands and feet receding back into her skin. As long as she had control, it would be fine. She wouldn't let it happen again. Sex was just that, sex. As long as she didn't allow it to become more, there was nothing to fear.

" **You think too much** ," rumbled Kurama from inside her mindscape. " **If you want to bed this woman, then do so.** " Naruko snorted. He always was blunt about such things. Kurama had never understood her preference to women, as he had asked, " **Why would you mate with someone...who you can't mate with?** " Still, he maintained mostly indifference to her chosen partners, which was much better than what could be said about much of Konoha.

"You don't understand," she retorted. Kurama liked to think himself omniscient, but he was unable to fully comprehend the thought processes of humans.

" **Don't I? You are afraid-** "

"I'm not afraid."

" **You are** ," he mused. " **A rare thing. This Anko girl makes you afraid.** "

"You know why," she growled. Kurama gave her what he probably thought was a smile.

" **I do. Your fears are unfounded. It won't happen again.** "

"I can't...I can't get close to her. You know that."

 **You mistake the need to mate with love, kit. I grow tired of your foolishness. You outgrew this long ago.** " He was right, of course, but Naruko hated to give him the satisfaction. She severed their mental link, disappearing to her home in a **shunshin**. There would be time to deal with Anko later, she had other places to be. Jiraiya would be an invaluable asset, once she found him. His fighting skill and battle knowledge would be imperative for the Suna invasion, especially his toad summons. She used to have the contract of the toads, but it had apparently been erased when travelling back in time. The reason she truly needed him, however, was for his spy network. She sooner she knew of the Akatsuki's movements, the better. Given enough time, she would be able to pinpoint their locations.

And once she knew that, their slaughter would begin.

* * *

 **Hello again. Bit of a filler chapter, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless. Updates will be coming in more slowly now that school has started. I can't really do anything about that, I apologize. I really appreciate the reviews I've gotten so far! I read all of them, and I respond to the ones I can, some people have PMs off or were guests. If you want, I can respond to reviews in the AN, but I don't want to add too many words to the story. As always, thanks for reading!**


	5. A Little Fight

**Chapter 5: A Little Fight**

* * *

Naruko strolled through the empty streets of Kumogakure, staring up at the mountains all around her. Built into the mountainside were multiple terraces, as well as a massive blue building that seemed to be constructed around one of the natural spires. In accordance with the terrain, the buildings were made up of mostly stone, in contrast to Konoha's wooden architecture. The air was thin and cold, to be expected from the high altitude, high enough that the clouds almost brushed the tops of buildings. Her way was lit by paper lanterns, which cast a dim yellow glow over the ground as they danced in a soft breeze. Kumo was undeniably beautiful, but still she didn't much like the village. It brought back memories she would prefer stay buried.

It turned out that following Jiraiya's trail was almost laughably easy. Not only was the man relatively famous, but his recognizable appearance and loud personality made him quite memorable even to people who didn't read his godawful books. She had only to ask around in a few villages to find out he had traveled North, and if he was going North he would surely pass through Yugakure, the village hidden in hot water. The man was notorious for peeping at hot springs, there was no way he would pass by an entire village mostly dedicated to that very purpose. There she had found his trail once more, and if he wasn't in Yugakure there was only one place for him to go. Kumo. He wouldn't bother with civilian villages, they were far too boring for his taste, and didn't have his preferred...entertainment to the same degree larger villages did.

And so she found herself patrolling Kumo, searching for either the nearest bar or brothel. At this late hour, she more expected the latter. Naruko almost wished that she could resent him for his perverse habits, but to do so would be hypocritical. She too had needed her distractions, back in the war.

She found him at the third brothel she tried. Apparently, Kumo had quite a few of the establishments. Naruko wasn't sure what that said about the village itself. She brushed past a slightly surprised bouncer, who was probably unused to admitting women entrance, and into the main lobby. Women in various states of undress paraded around the large space, occasionally leading a patron up the stairs at the far end. Around the room were several large couches and tables, occupied by either customers or prostitutes. Sure enough, there Jiraiya sat, a giggling whore in each arm. No doubt their amusement stemmed from the large sum of money they were receiving, Jiraiya's jokes weren't his strong suit. With quick strides, she was in front of him. He hadn't noticed her yet, his eyes were rather preoccupied as one of the prostitutes shed her top, making rather over exaggerated display of removing the garment. It was strange, to see him again. He had died before the war had even begun, and yet here he was. In flesh and blood, and in all of his previous perversions.

"Jiraiya," she said loudly, earning only an annoyed grunt.

"Go awa-" He suddenly caught sight of her, his jaw dropping open as he did a double take. Naruko frowned as a lecherous grin slid across his face. "My dear, will you be joining us this evening?" His tone quickly shifted, his words dripped with sickening honey. Naruko thought she was going to throw up. The problem was, she needed him alone. She couldn't teleport him out in full view of everyone else.

"Let's go upstairs, shall we?" She asked, forcing the best smile she could manage, despite that all she wanted to do was run and never look back. Jiraiya's grin widened, and she took his hand, looking behind her to subtly nod the girls towards the bills she left on the couch next to them. They seemed all too pleased to receive their pay for so little work, quickly disappearing into the crowd. She led him up the staircase, despising the way he was staring at her rear, and ushered him into the first empty room. With one last glance into the hallway, she closed the door behind her. Before Jiraiya had time to react, she grabbed his arm and they disappeared in a crimson flash.

* * *

"You fucking old senile prick!" Naruko shrieked, clutching at her nose, which was bleeding profusely. Apparently, Jiraiya had faster reflexes than she expected, and had immediately punched her in the face when they appeared in Naruko's hotel room.

"Why did you take me here?" Jiraiya asked coldly. His previous cheerful expression had been replaced by a cold mask, apparently, Naruko thought wryly, teleportation didn't take kindly to him. "And what was that jutsu you used?"

"I just wanted to talk, you perverted toad. You try to hit me again-"

"If I hit you again it will be to kill you," he interrupted coldly. Naruko held back a sneer, mostly because the gesture would get blood in her mouth. As if he could. "I asked you a question," said harshly.

"You always were a stubborn man," she commented, tilting her head back to try and stop the flow of blood. Jiraiya's eyes narrowed in suspicion, a snarl curling his upper lip. "I'm surprised you didn't recognize my technique, perhaps you need another demonstration?" He tensed, but wasn't fast enough to avoid her as she lunged for him. The moment her fingers made contact with his arm, they disappeared once more.

"Do you recognize it now?" Naruko asked haughtily, this time having the sense to put some distance between them after they appeared. They were outside of Kumo now, at the **Hiraishin** marker she had placed a few minutes walk from the city walls.

"That's impossible," Jiraiya growled, his body tensed in preparation for a fight. Naruko smirked. Perhaps he realized by now that killing her would be impossible.

"Clearly not," Naruko drawled. It had been said that she wasn't the best at diplomacy.

"What do you want with me?" He asked, watching her for any sign of an attack.

"I want you to come back to Konoha with me," she answered evenly, clearly surprising him. No doubt he had expected something much more unpleasant.

"Who are you?"

Naruko smirked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"You might be surprised." She considered him for a moment. She _really_ doubted that.

"I'm Minato's daughter." She had expected him to laugh, but Jiraiya was actually quite good at hiding his emotions when he wanted to. Instead, he met her gaze evenly, clearly trying to spot a lie.

"You're a crazy bitch. Minato never had a daughter, and if he did she wouldn't be nearly as old as you."

"You can doubt me all you want. You _will_ go back to Konoha, whether or not you are conscious for the journey is up to you. You will learn the truth soon enough."

"As if a little girl like you could-"

Naruko hauled his unconscious form over her shoulder, before disappearing in a flash.

* * *

"I told you that you wouldn't believe me," Naruko said unhelpfully, enjoying the way Jiraiya's jaw was hanging open comically. Sarutobi had done his best to explain the situation, but even with the Hokage's validation it was difficult to believe her story. Not that Naruko much cared either way. She needed his help, that was all. He could think whatever he wanted of her. All she wanted was to protect her village, and the people in it, no matter the cost. Konoha's will of fire burned brighter in her than any who came before her, or any who came after. That was why she had been made Hokage in the first place. She wasn't a master tactician, she wasn't a diplomat, she wasn't a politician. She was simply the incarnation of the will of fire. She breathed fire as easily as she did air. She with a will hot enough to burn the sun.

"The attack is fast approaching," Sarutobi commented absently. "The genin have already begun the second stage of their exam." Naruko's head snapped up as she took in a sharp breath.

"When? When did the second stage begin?" She asked urgently, startling both Sarutobi and Jiraiya with her tone. She hadn't expected the chunin exams to begin so soon, if she was too late...

"Just this morning," responded Sarutobi, frowning at he curiously.  
"Then there may still be time," she breathed, relieved, before vanishing in a flash.

* * *

Naruko raced through the trees, almost too fast for the eye to follow. Below her, the genin teams were scattered about the Forest of Death, scrambling foolishly to achieve their given task. They wouldn't notice her presence, not unless she wanted them to. She strained her senses, ignoring the small bursts of chakra from the chunin hopefuls. What she needed to find was much bigger.

 _There!_ A spike of killing intent, far too powerful for any chunin level ninja to perform, erupted not too far ahead of her. She unsealed her crimson blade, vanishing in a **shunshin**.

She appeared a moment later, catching Kiba by the collar as he attempted to launch himself at the tall ninja standing not too far away. Sakura and Sasuke were both frozen in place from the twisted killing intent emanating in waves from the mysterious shinobi. Luckily, she was on time. Orochimaru could adopt many forms, but there was no doubt this was him. He always smelled of snakes.

"And who might you be?" Orochimaru asked, drawing out the syllables eerily. Naruko grimaced, everything about him was snakelike, the fluid way he moved, the way he spoke, even his eyes.

"Don't interfere," she told the three genin, pushing Kiba back towards his teammates. It was their lucky day, she mused absently, they were going to witness a high level shinobi battle firsthand. " **Moeru Ha (Burning Blade).** " Her katana erupted into flames that coursed over the length of the blade, leaving a fiery afterimage when she move her sword. Orochimaru tilted his head, regarding her curiously with those eerie eyes of his, before his jaw opened grotesquely wide, the handle of a sword rising from his throat. He grabbed it and fluidly drew the blade she knew to be the legendary Kusanagi sword.

"It's rude, you know," he commented off-handedly, before he darted forward, their blades clashing in a roar of flame. "To ignore someone like that," he finished, flicking his wrist around in an attempt to sever her head from her shoulders. Again, his blade was blocked by her own, and she sent a pulse of chakra into the blade to make the flames flare up, forcing him back. A slow smirk spread across Naruko's face. It had been too long since she had really let loose.

The genin staggered back as her chakra washed over them, strong enough to make the very air feel heavy. Even Orochimaru looked wary as her chakra beared down on him. Nobody could match her in sheer chakra potency, whether in volume or density. She was an Uzumaki, after all.  
Still, he was too good to actually be slowed by such a simple move.

Again, he dashed forward, his torso extending so that his body looked almost more snake than man. He slithered forwards at a blinding speed, and once more their blades clashed. He struck five times, all in the space of a moment, each clash of blades marked by the roar of fire. Again, Orochimaru jumped back to create some distance between them.

" **Sen'ei Tajashu (Multiple Striking Shadow Snakes)!** " Large snakes extended from his outstretched sleeve, fangs bared in preparation to strike. The jutsu covered a surprisingly large range, the snakes fanning out as they raced towards her.

" **Zanzo (Afterimage)!** " She arced her blade in a wide slash, cleaving through several snakes in one strike. As the rest of the serpents curved to lunge down at her, she swung her sword again, this time in Orochimaru's direction, though he was still far out of striking distance. Suddenly, a crescent shaped blade of fire erupted into the air, following the exact plane and pattern of her initial sword strike, cutting easily through more of the snakes. Orochimaru's eyes widened in realization, but he had no time to dodge as fire exploded in a delayed imitation of her second swing, rushing outwards to mirror her blade's attack. The attack struck him in the middle, easily severing his torso from his legs. Where there should have been blood and gore, snakes shot from both severed pieces, meeting in the middle and drawing the two halves together, healing Orochimaru seamlessly. Naruko grimaced. Orochimaru was annoyingly good at living when he shouldn't.

"To think you could match me even at this level," he hissed. "Most impressive." The fool. He always had been an arrogant bastard.

"You really need to learn how to die. **Katon: Ryuu no Iki (Fire Style: Dragon's Breath)**!" Flames erupted from her mouth as she poured her chakra into the technique. The attack races forward with a loud roar, drowning out the cries of the genin.

" **Kuchiyose (Summoning): Rashomon!** " A massive ornate gate appeared to intercept the flames, a bizarre snarling face painted on its surface. It was tall enough to easily tower over the surrounding trees, but even still it buckled under the pressure of the flames as they smashed into with with massive force. Naruko released the jutsu, watching impassively as the Rashomon gate burned, it's ornate frame now blackened and twisted by the heat. As suddenly as the gate appeared, it vanished from existence with a puff of smoke, and Orochimaru was nowhere to be found. Naruko sighed. She knew that she would be seeing more of him soon.

"Holy shit that was awesome!" She turned to find Kiba beaming up at her with a disturbing amount of reverence. "You totally kicked that guy's ass!" Sasuke was scrutinizing her with a look she could only describe as hungry. She didn't like it. Not one bit.

"What are you looking at, brats? You need to get out of here, everyone in this stupid forest will have felt that." She noted, with a small amount of smugness, Sakura's terrified expression. They would be fine, they learned from the best, after all.

With one last look, she disappeared in a whirl of fire.

* * *

Anko was not having a good day. First, she had been forced to get up early. If that wasn't bad enough, she was forced to get up early _because of a meeting_. Then, at the meeting, she learned that Konoha was most likely going to be attacked by Suna and Oto, most likely during the chunin exams. Now, she learned that her old mentor Orochimaru was seen in the Forest of Death for an unknown purpose, and that he was scared away by a kunoichi who happened to be there at the time. She hadn't even had time to stop and get dango for lunch. In essence, it was the worst day imaginable.

Luckily, she was about to go interrogate the kunoichi, which she figured would be a good way to better her mood, and maybe learn some information vital to her village's security...as a secondary objective. Of course, she was really just supposed to question the kunoichi, not interrogate her, but where was the fun in that?

Still, if Anko were honest with herself, there was something off about the situation, and she was going to find out what. There was little reason Orochimaru of all people would be in the Forest of Death, and it was equally perplexing that someone had been there to stop whatever he was doing. Anko paused in front of the door to the interrogation room, adopted the most sinister grin she could manage, and burst into the room.

"Alright you floozy, this is how things are going to-" Anko paused, her grin slowly fading away as her eyes made contact with Naruko's, who was leaning back casually in her chair with her feet propped on the metal table in the centre of the room.

"Hello again, Anko," Naruko said coolly.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Anko asked, unsure of how to proceed. How are you supposed to interrogate someone you _really_ want to bang?

Anko realized she may have answered her own question.

"I'm here to be questioned, I think," Naruko responded, examining her fingernails absently. "Something about a little fight I was in." Anko's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. A _little_ fight? With Orochimaru? She slid into the chair across from Naruko, trying with difficulty to school her expression.

"What were you doing in the Forest of Death?" To business, then.

"In light of some new information, I was sent by Sarutobi as an extra precaution during the second exam."

"Would this be the 'new information' learned at today's meeting?"

"It would."

"You weren't there," Anko pointed out. Naruko waved an airy hand.

"I was debriefed this afternoon."

"Do you have any idea who you fought today?"

"Not sure," Naruko shrugged, "but they were way above chunin level."

"It was Orochimaru," Anko cut in. She still had trouble believing that the woman before her had gone toe to toe with her old teacher. Either Naruko was ridiculously strong, or Orochimaru had never wanted to actually kill her. That too raised even more questions, because Anko suspected the latter was more likely. Especially when she noted Naruko's clearly feigned surprise at the supposed revelation that she had been fighting Orochimaru. Anko stood from her chair, nodding curtly at Naruko. "I hope next time we meet, it's under more...pleasurable circumstances." As she turned to leave, a frown crept across her face. Anko was good at telling when someone was lying, and Naruko was _definitely_ lying.

Her bad mood rapidly returning, Anko couldn't help but grimace. It was a shame, really. she always did seem to be attracted to the crazy ones.


	6. For the Good of the Village

**Hello readers! Usually, I put these ANs at the end of the story, but this will be an exception. There is a lemon in this chapter, or more accurately, most of this chapter is a lemon. This will be the only warning, I won't break the flow of the story to add one while it is underway. I hope you enjoy! As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: For the Good of the Village**

* * *

"I'm telling you, Kurenai. I have the worst luck." Anko munched forlornly on a mouthful of dango, even the savory treat unable to brighten her mood. "It's always the hot ones..."

"I thought Sarutobi said her reasons were legitimate and well-intended, unlike your own," Kurenai commented with a raised eyebrow. The pair were back in the jounin lounge sharing lunch as usual. Luckily for Kurenai and her wallet, it was Anko's turn to treat them.

"My intentions are perfectly legitimate," protested Anko through a mouthful of dango, her cheeks bulging as she tried to fit as many as she could into her mouth.

"You just want to have sex with her," Kurenai pointed out wryly. Anko scoffed.

"You can join in if you want, I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"No, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the invitation." Anko sighed wistfully.

"I was so close, too. She was practically begging for it." She ignored the way Kurenai rolled her eyes, too busy drooling over both the dango and the memory of Naruko's supple body pressed into her own. "It was somethin' straight out of Jiraiya's books. In the hospital and everything. I was gonna bend her over the table and-"

"Yes," Kurenai interrupted flatly, "I'm sure that you were."

"What a fine piece of ass," Anko said dreamily, ignoring Kurenai's sarcasm, resting her chin in her palm.

"Your ability to objectify women so heavily while also being one yourself never ceases to amaze me," Kurenai said exasperatedly. Anko grinned. She did have many talents.

"And so, I will get into Naruko's pants, for the good of the village," Anko proclaimed proudly, again ignoring Kurenai completely and adopting a heroic pose. Kurenai looked like she wanted to both laugh and cry at the same time.

"For the good...of the village?" She repeated incredulously. Anko nodded vigorously.

"I told you, she was definitely lying to me when I questioned her. Sarutobi was evasive about it, so there must be something going on."

"Yeah," Kurenai said blandly, "Suna is going to attack us."

"No, not that," Anko said, waving the thought away. "Maybe...she tricked the Hokage and has something far more nefarious planned! I, Anko Mitarashi, will seduce this evil woman, and after I have my way with her she won't be able to resist telling me everything!" Anko grinned. It was the perfect plan. She would no doubt earn a promotion for her selflessness. "You can help too," Anko said hopefully. "She'll never be able to resist you in that tight little dress."

Kurenai's forehead made audible contact with the table.

Anko just smiled. She had work to do.

* * *

A few days later…

* * *

Naruko downed yet another cup of sake, slamming it back down on the counter, barely noticing the potent taste of the alcohol. She wasn't usually much of a drinker, mostly because she was a horrible lightweight, but she found herself frequenting the bar more and more often.

She didn't drink the way she had after the academy, to have fun with her friends. She drank to go to sleep. Naruko swayed slightly from her perch on the barstool, her crimson hair hanging messily in front of her face as her head bowed drunkenly. If only she could forget everything that had happened before. The alcohol helped, for a time. But in the end, she was alone. In a world where she didn't belong. She had given up her own world in the hopes of saving another. She would do it again, but it was a heavy price. She was a ghost, walking amongst the dead.

In her drunken state, she failed to notice someone slide into the stool next to her, until another drink was slid in front of her vision.

"It's called a pick-me-up, you know, not a put-me-down."

"Anko? What are you doing here?"

"Same as you," Anko beamed down at her. She looked the same as always, her purple hair done up in its usual pineapple style, wearing her fishnet and trenchcoat combination. "Getting trashed!" Anko raised her glass, and Naruko indulged her, clinking their cups together before they downed their respective drinks.

"Never would'a taken you for a drinker," Anko admitted, waving the bartender for more sake. "Not that I mind, you're a girl after my own heart." She downed another drink, clearly used to the stuff.

"And I had you pegged for one right away," Naruko said, the words coming out perhaps a little more sloppily than she would have liked. Anko laughed heartily, clapping Naruko on the back. Faintly, Naruko noticed that instead of returning to her previous position, Anko had snaked her arm around her shoulders.

"A little bit of drinking never killed anybody!" Naruko wasn't sure that was entirely factual, but couldn't help the grin that began to spread across her face.

"My, Miss Mitarashi, are you trying to get me drunk?" Anko recoiled in mock horror.

"I've been found out! Now my evil plan will never work!" She elbowed Naruko good-naturedly. "Though, it seems like you did a good job of that all by yourself."

Naruko giggled, swaying slightly before Anko's hand steadied her. "There," Anko said with a wide grin, "I knew you had it in you."

"What?" Asked Naruko, blinking up at Anko's grinning face.

"You laughed," Anko responded. "I can't just leave a beautiful lady like yourself to wallow in self pity." Naruko barely even registered the words as she found herself unable to tear her gaze away from Anko's lips, her thoughts flashing back to the last time they were together. She had tried to push the incident from her mind, but now… Now Anko was so close, and just like before she felt almost powerless in front of her. Maybe, were she to pause and think, she would remember that she was in a crowded public space. Maybe she would remember that she had promised herself never to lose control again. Maybe she would remember that she was drunk, and that nothing about this was a good idea. But she didn't think. All she knew was the sensation of Anko's lips as she forced their mouths together, and the pleasant buzzing of the alcohol in her head.

* * *

The door to Anko's apartment slammed open roughly, followed shortly by the noise of Naruko being shoved into the wall just inside. Anko's lips never left hers as she skillfully kicked the door shut, her hands quickly finding their way under Naruko's shirt to skim over her stomach and back. Naruko was trying her best to keep up, kneading Anko's ass through the fabric of her skirt.

They broke apart, each gasping for air, but Anko refused to give Naruko even a moment's respite. In a moment, Anko's hand was at Naruko's hair, pulling down to force Naruko to tilt her jaw upwards. Immediately Anko's teeth were at her exposed throat, nipping down her jugular. She found herself unable to stifle the long moan that tore itself from her throat, and she felt Anko's lips smile against her neck at the sound. Anko's free hand found her breast, squeezing and kneading experimentally. All Naruko could do was hold on, her mind whirling from a mixture of lust, pleasure, and the alcohol she had consumed. As Anko's hands found the hem of her shirt, she had just enough sense to raise her arms to allow the garment to pass over her head, relishing the cool air on her hot skin. Her shirt was discarded carelessly to the floor, and she found herself suddenly rising into the air as Anko picked her up bridal style.

"If I recall, I made you a promise back at the hospital," Anko purred next to her ear, her hot breath sending a shudder down Naruko's body. She was carried quickly to the bedroom, where Anko set her down gently on the soft sheets. Before she knew it, her pants were sliding off her ankles, discarded as haphazardly as her shirt.

"You're fuckin' soaked," Anko observed with obvious glee, settling herself on top of Naruko. As if she didn't know that already. Naruko's eyes closed as Anko pulled her in for another kiss, only to fly open as a thumb rubbed slowly over the fabric of her panties, just over her clit. Anko swallowed her cry of pleasure, increasing the pressure of her thumb. Naruko squirmed, her hands clawing at Anko's back. Dimly, she thought how unfair it was that she was so exposed while Anko was still fully clothed. The thought quickly vanished as another wave of pleasure ran through her, her back arching as she tried to force more contact between them. Anko took the opportunity to reach the clasp of her bra behind her back, skillfully removing it before Naruko even knew what she was doing.

Anko's lips left her own, trailing kisses down her jaw and neck, then her collarbone, finally coming to rest on her breast. She licked over a nipple, the skin quickly pebbling as it made contact with the air. As her mouth latched over the soft skin, her hand began to caress Naruko's other breast, making her cry out with pleasure. It was almost too much, the pressure building deep within her core. Her hands scrambled to find purchase in the sheets, her hips grinding almost of their own accord. Her head tilted back as she screamed, her eyes unfocused and unseeing. She couldn't form a coherent thought, let alone a word. Her body was on fire, an almost molten heat pooling between her legs as Anko set a steady rhythm, slowly driving her insane.

It hit her without warning. Color exploded in her vision, her legs spasming almost violently. It was like a floodgate had been open, and all of her pent up pressure was released. She could form no thought or experience any sensation other than ecstasy, all form of coherency gone from her mind. Her core pulsed with liquid heat, soaking all the way through her saturated panties. Dimly, through the waves of pure pleasure that wracked her body, she realized that she was screaming Anko's name.

Slowly, Anko brought her down from her orgasmic high. Her breasts heaved with each gulp of air, a sheen of sweat glistening on her skin. Her body was limp and heavy, a pleasant tingling sensation lingering in her extremities. Her mouth open and closed as she attempted futilely to form words.

"I hope you don't think I'm done with you yet." Naruko's eyes flew open as her panties were ripped away with an audible tearing noise. Before she could react, the sodden cloth was stuffed into her mouth as a makeshift gag, her own musky taste filling her senses. "Don't want to be getting any noise complaints," Anko purred by way of explanation, sliding down Naruko's body, resting just above the apex of her thighs. "Now...it's time to taste you." Anko's tongue slid slowly through Naruko's glistening folds, making her cry out through the sodden fabric in her mouth. Anko hummed deep in her throat, the vibrations almost making Naruko's eyes roll into the back of her head. She could barely even move, she was so powerless under Anko's touch. And she loved every second of it.

She should have hated it, the lack of control, but instead it drove her crazy with lust. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe she needed this, deep in that part of her she tried so hard to bury. Anko's lips sucked gently over her clit, drawing the sensitive bundle of nerves out of its hood. Naruko's hands scrambled to find purchase in her hair, forcing Anko even further into her dripping sex. Anko understood the message, and slid two fingers deep into her core, made easy by her slickness, and began to thrust them in and out.

Naruko thought she almost passed out as Anko's fingers curled within her, her walls contracting around her skillful digits. She was little more than a hot mess. She was drunk, not only on alcohol but on her own taste. Her body was dripping with sweat, and her fluids were quickly soaking through Anko's sheets. Dimly, she tried to recall if she had ever so aroused in her life. The thought quickly escaped her drunken mind, as did all those before it. They would come and go, but she could never hang onto one tangible thought and keep it longer than a few moments.

Anko's constant sucking and licking finally tipped her over the edge. Her hips undulated as her fingers forced Anko's face closer, covering her with her juices. Her legs clamped down over Anko's ears, and even through the gag her scream resounded throughout the room.

When she finally stopped trembling, Anko lifted her head, licking her lips clean of Naruko's liquids. What she could not reach with her tongue she just left where it was. Anko quickly stood, practically tearing off her clothes before diving back onto the bed. Naruko felt her legs being repositioned, one foot brought to rest on Anko's shoulder, and the other between Anko's own thighs. Finally, Anko was kind enough to remove her panties from her mouth, finally allowing her to speak.

"Anko," she gasped, unsure if she could go another round. And _she_ had been called a stamina freak. Anko just smirked, lowering herself down until their centres made contact, before grinding slowly forward. Naruko's head fell back onto the bed as Anko rocked her hips again, brushing Naruko's clit with her own. Naruko wasn't sure how much she could take, she had already come twice and her whole body was so sensitive each thrust almost sent her over the edge.

Anko picked up her pace, grinding down harder and harder on Naruko. There had been no question, at any time, of who was in charge. Her body was putty under Anko's touch.

Before, she was always the dominant one during sex. That had felt right then, she was the one who took control of most situations, it made sense that she do so during sex as well. But now… Now she was a mere marionnette under Anko's touch, and it had felt better than anything before.

Her orgasm hit just before Anko's, and all she could do was hang on as tightly as she could to Anko's grinding hips. She didn't know how long it lasted. It could have been seconds, maybe minutes, she didn't care. She didn't know anything but the pleasure that coursed through her body with explosive force.

* * *

The next thing she knew, her body was being gently guided into Anko's arms. They lay, limbs tangled haphazardly, both panting for breath. Anko's breasts pressed softly into her own, and she found herself staring deeply into Anko's light brown eyes. She smiled as Anko leaned in for a soft kiss, this one far less hungry than the ones they had shared earlier.

"Damn," Anko said. Naruko agreed wholeheartedly.

"Damn," she repeated softly, her eyes drifted closed, suddenly feeling very heavy. The combination of alcohol and sex was finally catching up to her, and she found herself quickly drifting off to sleep.

"Remember when we saw each other the other day?" Anko asked suddenly.

"Mmhm," Naruko affirmed tiredly, unsure of where this was going.

"I'm sorry about that," Anko said, pressing a soft kiss on Naruko's nose. "You know, I was half expecting to be interrogating some big shot missing nin." Naruko giggled softly, opening her eyes to meet Anko's. "How did you take on Orochimaru anyway?" Anko pressed. "I mean no offense, but there's no way you could beat him."

"Of course I can beat him," Naruko boasted, hoping dimly to impress the other woman. "He ran away, is all." Anko chuckled, gently tracing circles over Naruko's hip.

"You made one of the Sannin run away?" Naruko frowned.

"You know, people are really stupid sometimes."

"Oh? How is that?"

"People used to make assumptions because of who I was," Naruko said. Maybe if she wasn't drunk, she wouldn't be so open about her thoughts. But she was, and she felt like Anko was someone she could trust. The mixture of sake and sex had virtually eroded her common sense, and the comfort of Anko wrapped protectively around her made it impossible not to give in. "Now, people make assumptions because they _don't_ know who I am." Her frown deepened. "My enemies underestimate me, and my allies think I'm an enemy."

"Only the ones who don't know any better," Anko said pointedly, pulling Naruko's hips closer. Naruko only smiled, her eyes fluttering closed as she drifted to sleep.

* * *

"And then we did it again in the morning!" Anko proclaimed proudly. "And I made her breakfast like the gentlewoman I am, even though she only ate the toast because she was hungover."

"I feel like the gentlewomanly thing to do would have been not to have sex with the drunk woman," Kurenai said wryly.

"That's not fair," Anko protested. "I was drunk too."

"Yeah, see how _that_ holds up in court," Kurenai muttered.

"What?"

"It's nothing," Kurenai lied smoothly.

"Anyway, the village is secure thanks to my irresistible charm."

"Yes," deadpanned Kurenai, "you're a hero."

"You should have seen it," Anko said, oblivious to Kurenai's skepticism. "I totally fucked her into the mattress."

"Please don't describe it to me."

"And the things she did with her tongue!"

"Stop."

"And that rack!"

Kurenai sighed. It was going to be a long day.


	7. A Darker Path

**Chapter 7: A Darker Path**

* * *

 **A few weeks later…**

* * *

" _Will Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Gaara please enter the arena._ " Deafening applause filled the stadium as both young ninja appeared in a **shunshin** , facing off stoically.

"Your death will justify my existence," Gaara snarled. "I will paint the sand with your blood."

Naruko closed her eyes, resting her head back against the wall behind her. The fight itself mattered little, she cared only for what was to come. Her plan was simple. She would switch places with Sarutobi as the barrier went up around him, Orochimaru intending on keeping him isolated. Instead, he would be either forced to fight her or release the barrier allowing for him to be attacked by other shinobi. Jiraiya would be enough to stop Gaara's attack on the walls, and Sarutobi would be able to contribute to the main fight with his massive jutsu arsenal, without being forced into a disadvantageous duel. She figured it was the best way to proceed while making Sarutobi the least angry with her. She was much better suited to simply wiping out the Suna forced by herself, but Sarutobi wanted to avoid the loss of life that would bring. If he had been a bit more ruthless, she could have ended the battle instantly. Nobody knew of her technique or how to avoid them, not they could have even with prior knowledge, nor were they aware that Konoha knew of their attack.

It was almost too easy.

Dimly, Naruko was aware of the crowd yelling excitedly around her as the two young combatants exchanged blows. Most of the crowd was cheering Sasuke ahead, as to be expected since the exams were hosted in Konoha this year. Naruko tuned out their cheering and chattering, finally focusing on the fight before her.

Gaara had already formed a sphere of solid sand around himself, protecting him from Sasuke's rapid taijutsu attacks. Already, Sasuke had retreated, charging Kakashi's **chidori** in his palm.

It was just how she remembered.

Sasuke rushed forward in a burst of speed, his jutsu scoring the ground beside him, chirping in the birdlike noise signature to the technique. He thrust the attack forward, cutting through Gaara's "absolute defence" as if it were paper. Naruko ignored the cries of both the crowd and Gaara's twisted scream, glancing up at the sky, just as feathers began to fall. The crowd began to slump down in their seats as the genjutsu took effect, putting the civilians and lesser trained shinobi to sleep. The genjutsu was widespread, but not overly powerful, even genin ranked ninja were able to break it when they realized it was a genjutsu. Naruko flicked away the technique with as little effort as raising a finger, watching the Hokage's box. She needed her timing to be just right if her plan was to work. Around her, the jounin immediately took action, some running to the walls, other to the Hokage, and some remaining to guard the genin, who were on the verge of panic.

Smoke exploded from the Hokage's box, obscuring it completely from view. Naruko disappeared in a flash.

She arrived on the roof of the Hokage building at the same time as Orochimaru and Sarutobi. The Sound Four appeared all around them, hand clasped in a seal.

"Do it!" Orochimaru growled. Naruko used a **kawarimi** just as the four simultaneously activated their jutsu, the purple barrier of the four flames formation quickly appearing around them. She felt the coldness of a kunai pressed to her throat for a brief moment as she appeared in Sarutobi's previous position, before she spun, delivering a massive kick to Orochimaru's side before he had a chance to realize what had happened. He flipped in midair, skidding to a stop along the curved roof.

"So willing to die for your Hokage, now that _is_ honorable," Orochimaru hissed, frustration evident in his tone. "But I have better things to do than fight you again. Release the barrier!" The Sound Four deactivated the technique, but even before the purple flames faded away Naruko was through with her hand seals.

" **Katon: Tengoku no Geto (Fire Style: Heaven's Gate)!** " Roaring flames exploded from the roof, shooting straight into the sky, forming a fiery cage around them, too bright to be able to see through. The Sound Four were forced to leap away from the flames, but quickly began to hurl jutsu at the walls in an attempt to weaken them. Their water jutsu hissed into steam, their earth jutsus faded into dust, and everything else only added to the flames. "You will not leave this place," Naruko said calmly.

"Who are you?" He asked. Naruko smirked. She'd been asked that a lot recently.

"I am your end. Turn to dust, Orochimaru. **Katon: Karyu Endan (Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet)!** " A massive dragon of fire erupted from Naruko's mouth with enough force to create a small shockwave, rushing forward with a roar.

" **Suiton: Ja no Kuchi (Water Style: Snake's mouth)!** " The two elemental constructs collided in an explosion of steam, the sheer force of the jutsu sending both ninja back a few paces.

" **Mandara no Jin (Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes)!** " Orochimaru's mouth opened grotesquely wide, countless snakes surging forward in a confusing mass of slithering bodies. Each mouth opened wide, a sleek blade emerging where their tongue should have been, each one dripping with poison. Naruko smirked.

" **Katon: Ryuu no Iki (Fire Style: Dragon's Breath)!** " The massive fireball tore through the thousands of snakes like so many blades of grass, their bodies turning to ash instantly. With some satisfaction, Naruko noted the slight fear visible in Orochimaru's eyes.

"You cannot win, Orochimaru. You won't be able to resurrect yourself when nothing of you remains."

"You are a fool if you think you can kill me," he sneered. Despite his words, he must have realized that his snake technique were useless against her. They burned too easily.

Naruko rolled to the side as Orochimaru's Kusanagi blade flew just past her head, the sword extending far enough to reach her in the blink of an eye, even though Orochimaru hadn't moved. ' _So that's how it's going to be,_ ' she thought, unsealing her own sword and activating her **Moeru Ha (Burning Blade)**. His sword retracted as swiftly as it extended, and they both dashed forward at the same time, their blades meeting with a loud clang. Naruko went on the offensive, brutally striking down with her flaming sword, almost hammering Orochimaru to his knees. The close range better benefitted Orochimaru, however, and Naruko was forced to back off as snakes struck from his sleeves.

"Your attack is a failure," Naruko taunted, easily severing the snakes' heads a swift flurry of blows. "Just like the rest of your pathetic existence."

"You cannot keep up this barrier forever," Orochimaru countered, despite the sweat that was beginning to gather on his brow. It was true, keeping up the barrier technique at the same time as using other jutsus was beginning to drain her chakra. Such a feat would be impossible for most, the amount of chakra required was unheard of. Still, she hadn't even used Kurama's chakra yet.

"I want you to know," Naruko said, "I want you to feel...that you are about to die. You can't escape my fire." She released her full chakra with enough force to blast Orochimaru backwards, the air instantly heating to a fevered level, a heaviness weighing down on anyone who was nearby. She relished the fear in his eyes as her chakra smashed into him, cracking the roof around her. " **Katon: Ten'nohashira (Fire Style: Pillar of Heaven)!** "

" **Yamata no Jutsu (Eight-Headed Serpent Jutsu)!** "

" **Hiraishin!** "

Naruko vanished in a crimson flash, reappearing on the Hokage monument, where she had set a marker earlier. Orochimaru's body transformed into an eight-headed snake, so large that it immediately crushed the Hokage tower beneath its weight. Before he had even crashed to the ground, fire split the sky in a whirling pillar of flame. It struck him with enormous force, instantly obliterating what remained of the Hokage tower. His pain-filled hiss filled the air, each snake head writhing in sheer agony. It looked as if god himself had descended from the heavens to smite Orochimaru down.

Naruko watched silently as each of the eight heads burned, blackening and finally breaking away under the immense flames. Orochimaru's massive body twitched grotesquely as his flesh popped and sizzled, his blood boiling as his scales melted away. Naruko watched, unflinching, as his body turned to ash.

The smell of burnt snake made Naruko scrunch her nose in disgust, and she finally cut off the flow of chakra. The flames receded back into the sky, a strange silence beginning to descend over the village. Where the Hokage tower once stood, a deep smoking crater remained, without a single trace of Orochimaru. She stumbled forward momentarily, before catching herself. Perhaps she had overdone it a bit, at least without borrowing any of Kurama's chakra. Already she could herself reaching for his chakra, even if she didn't try to. Her whisker marks were already more prominent, and her eyes were slitted vertically like a foxes. Despite her slight fatigue, she barely took notice of any discomfort. With her experience, such minor symptoms didn't even slow her down. From her perch, she cast a glance over the rest of the city. Though the walls had never been breached, Gaara was visible rampaging in the forest in his jinchuriki form. Naruko sighed. Couldn't someone else save the day for once?

She disappeared in a flash of red.

* * *

Naruko dodged another of Shukaku's reckless swings, slashing in a wide arc with her burning sword. Gaara had allowed the bijuu all control over his body, his torso just barely visible emerging from Shukaku's head. She was wearing him down, landing cut after cut on his massive body. Above her, his roar shook the trees, filled with pain and blind rage. He had let go all control to his bijuu, and his attacks were wild and untamed. She was using two of her tails, and it was more than enough to outmaneuver him. All she had to do was find an opening to use **Hiraishin** to reach Gaara, and the fight would be over. She almost couldn't even register that he was the same person who she had known during the war. He was always a little cold, but she had almost forgotten the bloodthirsty sociopath that he had been when he was young. He had been a close friend of hers, especially during the war. Truthfully, she had been trying very hard not to think about him. She knew that they would never be able to have their old relationship, just the same as the rest of the genin. All of her friends growing up, all of the people she loved were back in a world that no longer existed. They might look the same as they did before, but they weren't the people she had known.

" **To think we'd meet again, Kurama** ," Shukaku rasped, forcing her to dodge yet another blast of sand. Naruko frowned in annoyance. His attacks never landed, she was still forced to evade as he threw out jutsu after jutsu at her.

"You're gonna have to fight a lot harder if you want to talk to _him_ ," Naruko growled, firing off technique almost haphazardly at the massive creature. She didn't want to use Kurama's full power, since it would notify all of Konoha to her jinchuriki status, but as it stood it was difficult to deal lasting damage to Shukaku. Her fire wasn't very effective against sand, and Shukaku's defence was difficult to penetrate.

"What is he talking about?" _Shit!_ Naruko whirled to see Sakura, Kiba, and Sasuke watching her. All three looked like they had seen better days, sporting a multitude of cuts and bruises. Their clothes were tattered and dirty, and Sakura especially looked ready to faint.

"This doesn't concern you," Naruko growled, turning her back to the trio so they wouldn't see her whisker marks or wild eyes. "Go back to Konoha."

"I think it does," Sasuke retorted hotly. _Stubborn brat._

"You're going to get yourselves killed." She deflected a massive bullet of sand with a blast of fire, the genin flinching back as the jutsus collided in a shockwave of energy.

"We're here to help," Kiba said, with more conviction than he should have felt.

"You're outclassed. Get out, that's an order," she snarled. If they didn't hurry up and leave, there was no way she could fight a bijuu, not if she had to defend their useless asses at the same time.

"We aren't going to leave," said Sakura. Naruko _really_ wanted to set the whole forest on fire. Was she so stubborn when she was a genin? Truthfully, she knew the answer was yes. Without sparing them a glance, she created a clone, which quickly grabbed all three genin, ignoring their angry cries, and disappeared in a **shunshin**.

Naruko waited a few moments, making sure they were far enough way, before releasing another two tails of power, grinning as Kurama's chakra flooded hot through her system. Her hair elongated whipping around violently in a wind generated by her own chakra, her canines lengthened slightly, giving her a feral appearance. The ground below her feet cracked under the sheer pressure of her chakra. She withdrew four Hiraishin kunai, balancing two in each hand, before she dashed towards Shukaku in a burst of speed. Her grin widened as he tried firing sand bullet after sand bullet at her, none of them even coming close to their mark. She hurled one kunai high into the air, then another straight at Gaara. As it raced towards the boys unaware body, she leapt into the air, covering her fist with flame as she twisted, already beginning her punch. Shukaku deflected the kunai aimed at his host, but took no notice of the one just above him. Before he could react, Naruko was over him, hurling another kunai downwards with her free arm, using the force of her rotation.

" **Hiraishin: Ryuu no Koka (Dragon's Descent)!** " Her spinning momentum was retained through her teleportation, adding massive power behind the flames surrounding her fist. The attack struck Gaara squarely in his back, obliterating his sand armor with ease. Fire surged forward, almost loud enough to overpower Shukaku's roar of fury. A moment later, Shukaku exploded into sand, sending Gaara plummeting to the ground below. Naruko followed his descent, landing lightly as Gaara crashed roughly into the ground. His sand armor was completely shattered, burn were clearly visible on his back where his skin was virtually melted away. Naruko released Kurama's chakra, the red energy that surrounded her fading into the wind.

"W-what are you?" Gaara rasped, his face contorted in pain.

"I told you before," Naruko said. "You shouldn't have started anything. You all brought this upon yourselves."

"You knew," Gaara said. It wasn't a question.

"Your plan might have succeeded if I wasn't here," she said, looking down at him impassively. "But there is no weapon strong enough to defeat me."

"H-how are you so strong? How do you justify your existence?" Naruko frowned at the strange question.

"I let go of the things that made me weak. I broke the chains that held me down." She could remember when she was his age, so full of anger. He was the same, albeit…a lot worse. Dimly, she noticed both Temari and Kankuro approaching warily from the side. "Maybe when you grow up you will see what it means to be strong." She spared one glance in the direction of the two siblings, then vanished in a **shunshin**.

* * *

"Destroying the Hokage tower, scaring the whole village half to death!" Jiraiya ranted, pacing furiously in front of Sarutobi's desk. They were currently in a much smaller office building, serving as the temporary headquarters of Konoha.

"I didn't destroy the Hokage tower," Naruko pointed out, "Orochimaru did."

"And then you used probably the biggest jutsu anybody in this village will ever see! You caused mass panic!"

"I killed him."

"Even so," Sarutobi interrupted smoothly, "you failed to notify me of your plan beforehand, there were already shinobi on standby to help neutralize the attack."

"It worked," Naruko said stubbornly.

"It the cost of massive property loss. You're lucky we evacuated everyone from the area!" Jiraiya exclaimed, glaring at her with uncharacteristic anger.

"You don't know Orochimaru's jutsu. He wouldn't have died to anything less."

"Mass. Panic." Jiraiya reminded her helpfully. She crossed her arms.

"Orochimaru. Dead. I'm sure you'll be able to handle the public. There's no way anybody saw that it was me who killed him. The damage was regrettable, but that is the price of victory."

"You're a cold bitch, you know that?" Jiraiya asked incredulously.

"I do."

Sarutobi sighed, reaching for the slight comfort of his pipe. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

" _I let go of the things that made me weak. I broke the chains that held me down."_ The words played over and over in Gaara's head. That woman...she had power. True power. Gaara couldn't tear his eyes from their small campfire, the flames flickering and dancing in his vision. Beside him, Temari and Kankuro slept peacefully, their soft breathing barely audible over the crackling flame. " _I let go of the things that made me weak."_ He winced as the burns on his back throbbed painfully. Even through his armor she had delivered such a blow… Nobody had done that before. Sasuke had landed a shallow attack on his shoulder, but this woman had given him something that would no doubt have a permanent scar. He was lucky his muscles weren't damaged permanently, but even through Shukaku's upgraded defences she had come close to killing him. He suspected she could have if she wanted to. Her chakra was so potent it made it feel like the very air was on fire, but she never went for a killing blow. It almost seemed unfeasible, that when almost nobody else could even touch him, this woman could toy with him in his strongest form. " _I broke the chains that held me down."_ His sand slowly left the gourd beside him, almost silent as it began to accumulate before him. What was it that his father had once said? That nobody could love him? That his emotions were what weakened him? Maybe he was right all along. He had seen the proof with his own eyes. Emotions were weakness, those with true power were forced to walk a lonely path. And his was clear. _She_ would justify his existence. When her blood stained his sand, then he knew that he would have the strength he craved.

His eyes never left the fire as his sand slowly wrapped around his two siblings, so gently it never even disturbed them from their sleep.

" _I let go of the things that made me weak."_

" **Sabaku Soso (Imploding Sand Funeral)!** "

" _I broke the chains that held me down."_

As he stared deep into the flames, tears began to fall.

* * *

 **The story has followed the events of canon up until this point...but that just changed. Temari is actually my favorite character so doing that physically hurt me. Reviews are always appreciated, whether you loved or hated it. As always, thanks for reading!**


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